Into the Fray
by A.D. Fields
Summary: Lelouch was happy living with his sister in Japan, far away from the royal family, until he is spotted, recognized, and forced back into the Imperial family. Will probably be LelouchxCornelia, cause I like those weird pairings. There may be laughs, there will be fighting, and there WILL be lemons! So...yeah...enjoy.
1. Discovered

**A/N:** Another new story. This is basically Lelouch is found, shipped back home, and is forced into the military, and then, you'll see what comes after.

Because I am a fan of really weird pairings, it will most likely be LelouchxCornelia.

I'm always conservative with the ratings, but, because this is me, there with obviously be a lemon scene...or ten.

Lelouch has better endurance than he ever had in the show, which is just a little bit of my flair. So...yeah. I can change a couple small details if I want to.

Anyways, read, review, and enjoy!

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><p>Lelouch was on his way back to his school, Ashford Academy, after winning a particularly easy game of chess against one of the many nobles in the Tokyo Settlement.<p>

A few moments ago, he had left a bank, unto which he deposited the money that he won, when he heard a commotion from across the road where a crowd was gathered.

Going to see what all the fuss was about, only having his gleaming silver case which contained his chess set, he saw something he didn't like when he found an open spot at the front.

Several Britannian soldiers were assaulting a civilian, beating him while he was down, and not allowing a moment of reprieve, while others looked on impassively.

To tell you the truth, it disgusted Lelouch.

"What a sorry sight" he mused rather loudly to the person standing next to him, a woman in her early thirties with a pantsuit on. "Obviously, these fair soldiers have nothing better to do than beat up on an unarmed man. Pitiful."

One on the men turned around and looked at him, registering him as a low class threat. All talk and no bite.

"Listen boy, you feel sorry for this Eleven?" the man spat with contempt in his voice.

"Not really. If your goal in life is to beat up on innocent civilians, you're doing a great job" Lelouch responded, the sarcasm evident in his voice.

"This animal" he pointed to the man huddled in a ball for protection "Is probably a terrorist who was willing to and attempting to assassinate the Viceroy."

"And what evidence do you have of that?" Lelouch asked, skepticism evident in his voice.

The Viceroy? That could only mean Clovis. Shit, was Clovis actually near him at that moment?

While the soldier was undoubtedly thinking up a witty response, Lelouch let his eyes scan around and saw the extravagant royal guards across the street watching the man get beaten. For a second, Lelouch and Clovis locked eyes, but it was long enough.

Clovis mouthed "Lelouch?" but by that point, Lelouch had already turned and started to run. He could hear shouts behind him.

"Stop that man! Prince Clovis la Britannia orders you! Catch him, and bring him to me at once!"

_"Aww fuck. Why here, why now?" _Lelouch asked himself, as he kept running.

Though his physical shape was decent with the little exercise he did, and the phys-ed classes that he attended when he felt like it, it wouldn't be enough to hold out against the well trained soldiers.

Pushing people out of the way to try and further his lead from the men chasing after him, he darted down into an alley and knocked over a few recycling cans, before coming to a dead end. The whole chase lasted maybe, five minutes, but Lelouch wasn't that out of breath.

Shouts could be heard around the corner of "He's just ahead" and "Show no mercy!"

The four men who rushed around the corner instinctively jumped on him.

"Not so tough now, are you asshole?" one of the soldiers said, who he recognized as one of the men beating the Eleven from earlier.

"Truth hurts, don't it?" Lelouch hissed, as handcuffs were tightened around his wrists.

That remark earned him a punch to the face from that same man, but Lelouch knew he could easily gain the upper hand in the long run.

"Come on Mary, that the best you got?" Lelouch asked, spitting out a gob of blood.

Two other soldiers hoisted him up but the arms, while the man he insulted threw a heavy right hook into his gut, knocking the wind out of him.

He heard a radio crackle to life. _"Status report?"_

"We've got the target in custody. Where does the Viceroy want him?"

_"His palace. And be quick about it. You'll be getting a heavily armed escort on the way there."_

"But it's one punk kid. We can handle this."

The debate went back and forth for the next few minutes, but usually what Clovis said, went, so three men hustled him out of the alley and into the back of a waiting black sedan, which pulled away from the curb quickly.

"You got a name kid?" the guy driving the car asked.

Feeling very rebellious, and very annoyed, Lelouch ignored the question, which earned him a hard punch to the side.

"Answer the question punk. If you don't, things are liable to get a little...messy. The prince wanted you alive, but he didn't say what condition he wanted you in" the man who just punched him hissed in his ear.

This brought a smirk to Lelouch's face. Whatever these guys did, they would get it back tenfold. Clovis was always one to uphold the royal image, and having a prince attacked by several men just wouldn't stand.

The smug look didn't go unnoticed by his captors, which earned yet another punch, this time to the face.

"If the prince wanted you to know who I was, he would've informed you" Lelouch mouthed off, before staring out the window again.

_"That shut them up"_ he thought with another smug smirk.

On the way, an escort of four Sutherland's linked up with the car, which alleviated any and all traffic concerns, and they arrived at the Viceroy's palace fifteen minutes after they had left.

"Get your ass out of the car" one of the men ordered, dragging Lelouch forcefully onto the pavement.

One of the men stayed with the car, while the other two, one of which was the original man he mouthed off to, dragged him through the large doors with rather happy looks on their faces.

_"They'll know soon enough"_ Lelouch thought, with a small grin on his face, which he got a cuff upside the head for.

They approached the large doors with a secretary sitting behind a desk dutifully tapping away at her computer. When she saw the three men approaching, they introduced themselves as Sergeants Hamlin and Carter, escorting the 'captured felon.'

When they said that, Lelouch could see the look on her face change to horror as she regarded the bruised and bloody face of the man in cuffs.

_"She knows who I am"_ he thought, an infectious grin growing on his face.

The secretary leaned over and picked up the phone on her desk. "Your Highness, they're here."

With that, the large doors in front of them swung inwards, revealing a rather large and ornate room, with the walls covered in paintings and tapestries.

Lelouch was dragged to the foot of the throne in which Clovis was sitting.

"Lelouch!" he cried with joy, getting up and walking down the stairs.

Both his captors bent down on one knee as a sign of respect, but Lelouch stood straighter, until he got a heavy punch to the back of his knees forcing him down onto the ground.

"Hello, brother Clovis" Lelouch said, grimacing from his wounds.

"Brother?" Carter whispered "Did he say brother?"

Clovis stood for a moment in stunned silence, before his face took on a rather lovely hue of purple as he bellowed "GUARDS! Arrest these men! They've assaulted a member of the royal family!"

The room was suddenly filled with heavily armed men, all rushing to get into position, and dragging the two sergeants a few feet away from Lelouch.

"What did these monsters do to you bother?" Clovis questioned in horror.

_"Yep. Same old Clovis. Always over the top" _Lelouch thought to himself.

"I'll be fine. It was nothing I couldn't handle" Lelouch said, before wincing in pain and massaging a sore spot on his ribs.

"Execute those two men" Clovis said, waving his hand.

"Just who the hell is he?" Hamlin shouted.

"I" Lelouch said, as he turned around to face them "I am Lelouch vi Britannia! Eleventh prince of the Britannian Empire!"

Both men went stark white, and their cries of "But we didn't know!" fell on deaf ears as the guards dragged them away.

"My my, when did you get so theatrical brother?" Clovis asked, as after he called for a nurse.

"Being on the student council at school really helped" Lelouch said, as the woman in white rushed through the door.

"We heard you and Nunnally died in the invasion" Clovis said, leading him to a chair "Poor Euphemia and Cornelia were heartbroken. Both of them didn't leave their rooms for three days, but myself and Schneizel didn't stop looking once the invasion was complete. Say, where is Nunnally?"

Lelouch quickly considered lying, but that wouldn't be a good option with his precarious predicament, especially if they were being watched.

"Nunnally has been attending school with me. When you call Schneizel, implore him to have the Emperor let her stay to continue her education" Lelouch said, as the nurse began cleaning the cuts on his face.

"I will" Clovis said, before grabbing him in a bone crushing hug "I'm just so glad that you're both safe."

"Me too Clovis. Me too" Lelouch said, while lightly returning the hug.

"Yes well, I'll go and call Schneizel now and tell him that our lost brother has returned from the dead" Clovis said, beaming a smile as he left.

_"Great. Fucking fantastic. Looks like I'll be stuck going back to the homeland"_ Lelouch thought with a sigh.

Clovis came back about ten minutes later.

"Once Schneizel tracks down father, he'll call me back with instructions on what to do" Clovis said, taking a seat across from Lelouch "Can I offer you anything to drink?"

"No thanks brother. I'm fine" Lelouch said, managing not to lace the word _brother_ with annoyance.

"Wonderful" he said, clapping his hands together. "My, how I've missed you. Now, whatever shall we talk about until Schneizel calls us back?"

Of course, Clovis knew what to talk about. Together, the two brothers spent plenty of time talking about what happened during and after the war, Lelouch's friends that he made, the time he spent at Ashford Academy, and how things were.

Clovis was amused to say that least when Lelouch explained how he would usually sneak off during the day to play nobles in chess and place bets.

An hour and a half, Lelouch's half-brother, Prince Schneizel el Britannia called back with news.

Clovis naturally was the first one to answer, and spoke for a moment before he said "He wants to talk to you."

Lelouch took the phone and said "Hello?"

"My god. Brother, it really is you."

"Yes Schneizel. It's me" Lelouch said, attempting not to grit his teeth.

Schneizel was one of the people who he didn't really like. Always so in control of everything. Lelouch had never been able to beat him in chess, and it had always annoyed him. He was always a little bit too caring, in Lelouch's opinion, because everything he did, he did it for a reason, or long term plan.

"It's so good to hear your voice. After we got the news that you had been killed, it didn't go over too well."

"So Clovis has told me. Tell me Schneizel, what does our father want to do with me?" he asked, annoyance creeping into his voice when he mentioned the Emperor.

"Well, he has said that Nunnally may continue to attend school, but you are to come home at once. I've already made arrangements with Clovis' pilot to leave in two hours, and I've set up a meeting with the Emperor for an hour after you land, which should be around 10am. Clovis will announce you as alive, and then you'll be brought home" Schneizel said, before asking ":Do you know what you'll be doing when you get back?"

Lelouch scoffed at this "No, but I have an idea."

"Well I can't wait to hear it. I'll spread the word within the family that you're alive. It'll be good to see you Lelouch."

"You too Schneizel. You too" Lelouch said, before he hung up.

"Alright. Come now Lelouch. We must get you ready for your return to the world!" Clovis said dramatically as he led Lelouch to a separate room.

"Return?" Lelouch questioned, before a large brush covered in makeup assaulted his face.

"Yes, your return" Clovis said theatrically as he picked up the phone on the wall. "Yes, this is Prince Clovis. Get me the PR center. I'll have a rather important announcement to make in half an hour. Very good then, make it happen."

With that he hung up the phone and said "I'll get you something to wear. Much better than that tattered school uniform."

For the first time, Lelouch actually looked at his appearance. One of the sleeves on his uniform was torn off, his pants were covered in dirt and grime, and several buttons were missing.

He only saw that before the makeup artist pulled his head back up to continue applying the powder.

Within twenty minutes, the office was a hive of activity. Lights, cameras, people rushing around, and bumping into others, with Lelouch and Clovis seated on a slightly raised platform with a microphone in front of them.

Lelouch had been shoved inside a black and gold suit with a ruffled collar and a red cape. The makeup person had done very well, you couldn't even tell that he had been beaten half an hour ago.

Clovis was used to all the fanfare and everything, so he was a natural under the harsh lights, whereas Lelouch had been trying to avoid unnecessary flair, even though he could be quite dramatic at times.

"To all Imperial subjects, and all Elevens who willingly support, serve and abide by the Britannian Empire, I, Clovis la Britannia have made a startling discovery" Clovis said, throwing his arms outwards.

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><p>In the student council room at Ashford Academy, Milly, Rivalz, Shirley, and Nina were gathered around the computer, looking at the budget.<p>

"Damn, I wish Lelouch was here. He could really help us out" Milly announced.

"Where is Lulu anyways? I haven't seen him for some time" Shirley asked, looking around.

"Dunno. He said he was busy, so it was probably a high stakes chess game or something" Rivalz mused, looking at the numbers.

Suddenly, Prince Clovis appeared on the screen.

"Nina, what is this?" Milly demanded.

"I don't know, but it must be important to be overwriting the signal" Nina said, looking with thought.

"Shhh. It's starting" Shirley said.

"To all Imperial subjects, and all Elevens who willingly support, serve and abide by the Britannian Empire, I, Clovis la Britannia have made a startling discovery" he paused, taking a breath. "I have uncovered my long lost brother!"

The camera panned over to where Lelouch was sitting.

"Hey...isn't that Lelouch?" Rivalz asked, but was silenced.

"My brother, Prince Lelouch vi Britannia who was thought to be dead during the initial invasion of Area 11, but has been found in the world of the living!"

"Oh no" Milly muttered, covering her mouth.

"Oh no? What do you mean oh no? Our little Lulu is a prince" Shirley squealed.

"Quiet" Rivalz hissed, as Lelouch stepped up to the microphone.

"Greetings Britannian's and Eleven's alike. I, am Lelouch vi Britannia. Eleventh prince of the Britannian Empire" Lelouch said, devoid of any emotion "I would like to thank you all for the hospitality and courtesy you have extended to me in my stay here, but I must return to the mainland. I will always be grateful to you, and will always carry a little piece of your country with me at all times. Metaphorically speaking, of course."

Cheers subsided, and the screen returned back to the budget process.

"Milly, did you know about this?" Nina asked, timid as ever.

"Yes I-" Milly started, before she was interrupted.

"Hey, if Lelouch is a prince, doesn't that mean that Nunnally is a princess?" Rivalz said, tapping his chin.

"If you'd all shut up, I would explain" Milly said, losing her cool for a second.

"Lelouch and Nunnally are royalty, but because only Lelouch has been announced, they either don't know about her, or they are letting her stay in the school" Milly said.

"Woah, when did you know they were royal?" Shirley asked.

"The whole time. Their mother was assassinated, but the Emperor, refused to investigate, so Lelouch renounced his claim to the throne and he and Nunnally were shipped to Japan as political bargaining tools. Soon after, Britannia just invaded Japan, leaving then to fend for themselves in a war zone" Milly stated.

"That's...horrible" Nina said, covering her mouth with a hand.

"Yeah. Lelouch never forgave his father for that" Milly said, a sad look gracing her features.

"I don't think I'd forgive my father if he shipped me off to some war torn country" Shirley said, hugging herself.

A sharp ringing broke everyone out of their trance, as Milly grabbed her phone off the table.

"It's Lelouch" she said with delight, as she answered it.

"Hey Lulu. Just saw you out there. Nice speech" Milly commended.

"Cut the crap. This is bad" Lelouch growled. "The Emperor wants me back in Pendragon. I'm leaving in an hour. Maybe less. Nunnally is staying at Ashford, but I'm going back. I'll call her after I land, but Schneizel has probably already talked to her. "

"You always were one to stare death in the face. Very gallant of you" Milly said, putting her hand to her chest.

"Yeah well, what can I say? I was a sucker for helping other people" Lelouch said "Oh, but I need to go, my ride is here. I'll e-mail you once I know what's going on with my life."

"Don't forget about us in Pendragon Lelouch. Goodbye" Milly said, before hanging up.

"So...what's going on?" Shirley asked.

"Nunnally is allowed to stay, but Lulu is being taken to Pendragon to face his father. He said he'd contact us when he knows what's going on" Milly sighed.

"Wow, he's brave. Facing the Emperor like that" Rivalz said.

"Yeah well, not much we can do. Let's go see Nunnally to see if she knows. If she doesn't, we'll tell her" Milly said, opening the door.

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><p>In a military base somewhere in Area Eleven, someone sat, staring at the television screen a full ten minutes after Prince Clovis' announcement.<p>

Jeremiah Gottwald, a seasoned Knightmare pilot, and someone who had pled his loyalty to the vi Britannia line of people, had his mouth agape.

_"Prince Lelouch is alive! He's alive! I must get to his side at once and remedy my failures, any way he sees fit"_ Jeremiah thought as he grabbed his uniform coat and rushed out the door.

It seemed as though all of Tokyo was conspiring against him, because even with his reckless driving, the streets were still clogged with traffic and it took him longer than usual to get to the Viceroy's palace.

When he arrived, disappointment awaited him.

"Lelouch. Sorry Gottwald, he should be just lifting off the tarmac now on his way to Pendragon" Clovis said, looking at his nails.

"May I request a leave of absence then your highness?" he asked.

"Very well then" Clovis replied, waving him off "Just tell them when you'll be back."

"Yes your highness, and thank you" Jeremiah replied, getting up off his knee and walking away with a sense of pure giddiness flowing throughout his body.


	2. Meetings and the Villa

**A/N:** Well, here we are. Another chapter of Into the Fray. I'll also take a quick minute to respond to the reviews I got for the last chapter.

theycallmebeanz- The romance will be a tricky aspect, but I think I have some ideas flowing already, and thanks for the kind words.

ThePizziaMan- Thanks, and as you wanted, here is the next chapter

Geasszero- Thanks

Zero Gawain- You're welcome?

Dianne060807- I agree. Prince Lelouch stories are better in my opinion, and I did update soon!

agarfinkel- I'm not really sure. I'm mentally throwing some ideas around about possibly adding a little MillyxLelouch, and maybe some CCxLelouch, but it's way too early to tell.

Anyways, I hope you enjoy the chapter, and you'll notice that there is a phone conversation with Milly later, so don't think that Lelouch is talking to himself for that entire time.

Remember to review guys! Enjoy!

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><p>"Nunnally?" Milly asked, after Sayoko opened the door and let the student council in.<p>

"Yes Milly?" the young girl in the wheelchair asked. It was obvious that she had been crying not too long ago, by the fact that her face was slightly red and there were fresh streaks of water on her face.

"How are you holding up? I assume you know now" Milly said, placing a hand on her shoulder while the rest of the people sat on the sofa close at hand.

"I'll be fine" she sighed "I'm just worried about Lelouch."

"I think we can all say that we're worried about Lelouch" Shirley said.

"That's only because you have a massive crush on him" Milly chided, trying to lighten the mood.

"MADAM PRESIDENT!" Shirley shouted, blushing furiously, much to the amusement of everyone in the room.

"He'll be fine. Besides, he already told me that he was ready for this eventuality" Nunnally said, after the laughter had died down.

_"I hope so. Good luck Lelouch" _Milly thought, looking out one of the large windows.

* * *

><p>Lelouch was startled awake when the wheels of the aircraft touched down in the city of Pendragon.<p>

"Sorry for the rough landing your highness" the pilot commented as he started taxiing towards the private hanger set up.

"Not to worry, and thanks for the lift" Lelouch said through the intercom.

"Not a problem sir. Have a good day" he said, and then clicked the intercom off.

Lelouch stayed seated for another five minutes, until the stewardess opened the door to the outside world, and allowed him to descend the small set of built in stairs onto the concrete floor of the hanger.

The main doors were shut as the engines of the aircraft slowly shut down. A small troop of armed men came over towards him, one was dressed in an officers uniform, so that was the one in charge.

"Prince Lelouch, we're here to escort you to the Royal Palace" the officer said.

"Very good then. Let's go" Lelouch replied, not wanting to spend more time than required in the presence of the Emperor. The sooner he faced the music, the sooner it would end.

He was brought to a black limousine and was seated inside.

"There is a stocked bar in-case you would like anything to drink your highness" one of the men said, before closing the door and walking away.

_"Dandy. Now, I've got a score to settle"_ Lelouch thought, as the engine started and they began to drive slowly out of a back door of the hanger and onto the airport grounds.

* * *

><p>He stared out the window at the passing scenery with a bored expression. Even though he hadn't been back in Pendragon in several years, nothing had changed. The driver was nice enough to not make conversation as they wound through the streets with their escort, until they reached their destination.<p>

The large double doors were opened, and he was allowed inside to await for the royal counsel to receive him.

Lelouch waited with annoyance, until he heard the announcement from behind closed doors of "Presenting, Prince Lelouch vi Britannia. Eleventh Prince of the Britannian Empire, and seventeenth in line for the Imperial Throne."

The large doors opened wide, and Lelouch strode through, with a crowd of nobles on each side watching his every move.

_"I thought I renounced my claim to the throne...Maybe he re-instated it when I was heard from...Nahhh"_ Lelouch thought, as he listened to the whispered conversations on each side.

"My, I hope he doesn't throw a fit like last time."

"Wow. He really is alive."

"Yeah, I heard that both of them are."

"They were in the middle of a war y'know. When Britannia invaded Area 11."

"He's a real looker."

Lelouch didn't pay any attention to the whispers flying around the room, he just continued to stride towards where his father, the Emperor of Britannia, was seated in the large throne.

Once he was in an acceptable range, he dropped to one knee and crossed his arm over his chest. In a loud voice, he spoke.

"Hail your Majesty. I, Prince Lelouch vi Britannia have returned from Area 11."

The silence that greeted him was not something that he had prepared for. It seemed to drag on for hours, until the man in front of him said "And?"

"And I have come to ask forgiveness for all my past actions" Lelouch said after a moment of thought.

Charles sat there, thinking. None of his children had ever dared to ask forgiveness for anything, but then he remembered how headstrong Lelouch had always been. How driven he was.

"Stand up Lelouch" Charles ordered.

Lelouch stood, and met the hard gaze directed at him with one of his own. Icy amethyst eyes clashed with frozen violet, neither man willing to step down against the other.

Charles stood from his throne, much to the surprise of all in attendance and walked towards Lelouch.

"What of Nunnally?" he asked, stopping a short distance away from Lelouch.

"She is continuing her studies, living obscurely in Area 11, your Majesty" Lelouch answered.

A large pause permeated the room until the Emperor said "You were both strong, and you both survived. It seems as though you did come from my blood."

"Yes, your Majesty" Lelouch answered with obedience. He was no stranger, even after several years away, of how the royal court operated. Complete, and total obedience was required in the presence of the Emperor.

"Why did you return to us Lelouch?" Charles asked.

"I was found by my brother, Clovis" Lelouch answered, easily matching the glare shot at him.

"And if Clovis hadn't found you?"

"Then, I would've remained living in Area 11 in obscurity" Lelouch answered truthfully.

"And why is that?" Charles interrogated.

"You abandoned us there, your Majesty. We were sent over as tools and left to die on the battlefield during the invasion" Lelouch answered coldly.

This brought forth murmurs from all the assembled nobles in the court.

Charles continued to harden his glare, until it abruptly softened slightly. "Yes well, you've returned now, and shown great courage, intelligence and skill. You will be useful to me" he said, clasping a hand on his shoulder and giving a small squeeze.

Lelouch was taken aback. Here he was, expecting to be shot. Not given a fatherly gesture that should have come years ago. By the time he had shaken himself out of it, Charles had already removed his hand and returned to his throne.

"Do you know what you will do, now that you have returned?"

"Yes, your Majesty" Lelouch responded. "I plan on enrolling at the Pendragon Military Academy to train to become an officer in the Britannian Military."

"Very well then. You'll have four days before you enroll. You may stay in Aries Villa for the time being" Charles said "Court dismissed for lunch."

As Lelouch dropped back to one knee, Charles brushed past, and Lelouch could hear a mumbled "Don't let me down."

Once the Emperor had gone, Lelouch came back up and spun around, walking back between the gawking nobles and out into the lobby.

A blur of pink was all he saw before he was grabbed in a tight hug with felt like it was going to break some bones.

"Lelouch! You're back!" Euphemia shouted with joy. "We were told you were dead! It's so good to see you again!" she began to prod his face and chest to make sure that it wasn't just a vision.

"Fine...Euphie...can't...breath" Lelouch managed to say before he was released by a shy looking Euphemia.

"Sorry, but we're just really glad. All of us" Euphemia replied, moving out of the way and letting the next person in line take a hug, with was Lelouch's half-brother Schneizel el Britannia. There were only ten people there, which didn't really surprise him because he knew most of the other people in the family really didn't like the vi Britannia lineage.

He was quickly passed off to Schneizel, who promised him a game of chess in two days, due to some urgent business that needed to be taken care of, and then others took their turns, offering a greeting or handshake, before disappearing back into the world of royalty.

Euphemia appeared in front of him again, this time with a piece of paper.

_"Odd...I could've sworn Cornelia was just here. Probably recalled to give a briefing or something" _Lelouch thought.

"Alright Lelouch" Euphemia said, getting his attention. "Because you've been absent, you're going to spend a day with each of the three people who actually missed you!"

"And who might they be?" Lelouch asked, dense as ever.

"Well, that would be myself, Schneizel, and Cornelia" Euphemia said, handing him the paper. "I've already made a schedule!"

His eyes widened when he saw all the activities for the first day, which he would be spending with Euphemia, but returned more to normal when he saw the plan for Schneizel, which was mostly of chess and rubbing elbows with nobles, and Cornelia's day was about as normal as you'd expect from someone. It was just open space, with a lot of room for spur of the moment things to do.

"Say, where is Cornelia? I saw her here, but she disappeared" Lelouch said, folding the list up and putting it in his pocket.

"Yes, she did disappear. Something about giving orders to Darlton. Don't even know why she'd bother with it considering she's got a week of leave" Euphemia huffed, walking out to the front garden with Lelouch where a car had pulled up.

"They'll take you to Aries Villa" Euphemia said, before pulling him into another hug, this time, much lighter "It's good to have you back Lelouch. Don't forget about our date tomorrow."

He could feel the heat rising up through his body. "Da..Date?" he stuttered.

"Relax" she laughed "God, all this time, and you're still as easy as ever to tease. It could be considered a date, but I'll think of it as two people hanging out. Just this once though."

"I'd like that" Lelouch said, giving a rare, but genuine smile, before walking down the stone steps and taking a seat in the back of the car with his eyes closed and letting out a heavy sigh.

"Yeah. The Imperial Chamber under the Emperor's gaze will do that to you" a voice from his left said, causing him to jump, which gained a chuckle from the person.

"Not very nice Cornelia. Scaring someone who just came out from the pit of hell" Lelouch growled.

"I know" she replied, smiling and crossing one leg over the other as the car started to move. "But I couldn't resist."

She continued "So I didn't hear what you told the group. What's going on now?"

"Well, this car was supposed to be taking me, but is now taking us, to Aries Villa" he saw her wince at those words, and with good reason too.

Cornelia had been head of Marianne vi Britannia's guard, but wasn't present the night of the attack, which she always blamed on herself.

"But, anyways" Lelouch continued, skipping the awkward moment "I'm going into the Pendragon Military Academy to become an officer. I leave in four days."

"Finally, someone else in the family on the battlefield" Cornelia commented with approval. "It'll be good to have you there with your mind."

"Yeah, I guess. I mean, I need to become useful anyways, so the military is the best place for me" Lelouch replied, before they settled into compatible silence until Lelouch said "Oh look, we're here."

The car pulled through the wrought iron gates and pulled up in-front of the house.

_"It hasn't changed. Seven years, and it looks the exact same as the day I left"_ he thought, getting out of the car and holding the door open.

Shutting it after Cornelia got out, they went up the stairs and opened the doors. Rows of servants, from butlers and maids, to cooks and gardeners stood waiting for Lelouch to arrive.

After a quick meet and greet, they were dismissed to attend to the various duties around the house.

_"So, I'm going to avoid the main hall and-"_ his musings were cut off by a very inhumane growl emanating from his body.

"Sorry" he said, his cheeks flushing with embarrassment "I haven't eaten since I left Ja..er.. Area 11. Want to get some lunch?"

"Sure, but...let's take the long way" Cornelia replied, pointing down a hallway to the left.

_"So, she's avoiding the main hall as well. Same reason as I probably" _Lelouch thought as they walked off to take a roundabout route to the dining area.

"When Euphemia called my hotel room and told me that you had been found, I didn't buy it, until she made me find the reveal on the internet" Cornelia said as they walked down a hallway adorned with paintings.

"A hotel? I knew you were on leave, but I thought you'd be staying in a palace" Lelouch questioned.

"Pft. I could care less about it. Besides, if I stay in the palace I grew up in, people would constantly bother me asking for battle orders. Darlton was lucky to get through to me, which is why I wasn't there to greet you when you got out of the court" she said, stopping by one of the paintings.

"I saw you, but you disappeared. Euphemia told me about it" Lelouch replied, as he stopped and looked at the painting "I remember this. Clovis painted it when I was eight."

It was a painting of Euphemia and Nunnally latching onto Lelouch, who was looking rather scared, while Marianne and Cornelia watched with amused smiles on their faces.

"Happier times" Cornelia mused.

"Indeed" Lelouch said, before starting to walk again "Come on, let's get something to eat."

* * *

><p>They wandered down the hallways through the villa until they stumbled upon the kitchen, where there was already two bowls of piping hot tomato soup and a couple of grilled cheese sandwiches.<p>

"Awesome" Lelouch said, before they sat down to eat.

"So" Cornelia started "What's Area 11 like? Not just like right after the war, because I can already imagine it. I mean, what was it like just before you were found?"

Lelouch held up a finger as he finished chewing on some of his sandwich.

"Well, it's a nice place. The settlement is anyways. The ghetto's, not so much" he said, waving his hand "I went to Ashford Academy with Nunnally, and spent spare time gambling against rich nobles over a game of chess."

Cornelia let out a snort before covering her mouth. "Underage gambling? You really haven't changed."

"The money was good" Lelouch countered "And besides, what kind of noble would report losing several thousand quid in a chess match to a seventeen year old school boy?"

"Point taken" Cornelia replied with a chuckle, before turning serious "When we were told that you and Nunnally died in the war, things didn't turn out too well. After the fighting stopped, Clovis and I looked for any signs of you two, but we never found them."

"Let's take this discussion into the garden" Lelouch said, pushing his empty bowl away and wiping his mouth on the silk napkin.

The last thing he said was directed at one of the maids that was clearing the table.

"Could you bring us some tea please?"

"Yes, your highness" she said, nodding dutifully as they left.

They walked through the rows of flowers towards the small gazebo that sat on the large lawn.

"Wow. Seven years and it still looks as nice as ever" Lelouch said, looking at the ornate gardens.

"From what I've heard, they use this house for visiting dignitaries. They've remodeled only the bedrooms to make them into more...grown up places" Cornelia replied as they sat down in the gazebo on one of the benches.

"Only fourteen hours ago, I was a simple student, and now, I'm back to being a pawn of the empire, being conditioned for a war that I already know is going to happen" Lelouch growled as a teapot and two cups were set on the table in the center.

"The Middle Eastern Federation is getting antsy" Lelouch continued as he poured the tea "My guess is that they'll attempt to sweep through North Africa in three months time, which is when my training will be done, so I know where I'm going."

"What makes you say that?" Cornelia asked as she accepted the cup of tea.

"I don't know, but not too many places are happy of all the territory that Britannia has taken. It seems as though the EU is itching to get in the fight though. It will happen, but I may be there to devise a few tactics myself" Lelouch replied, taking a small sip of tea.

"Yes well, people are already giving you a nickname from what I've heard" Cornelia said, setting her still full cup on the table to cool.

"Oh? And what might it be?" Lelouch asked, actually curious.

"They're calling you 'The Black Prince,' which I find appropriate because you usually wear black, and you always pick black for a game of chess" Cornelia replied.

"So, we'll have The Black Prince and The Goddess of Victory on the same battlefield. That ought to be fun for the enemy" Lelouch said, with a chuckle.

Cornelia joined into the laughter.

"We're not going to get many moments like this, are we?" Lelouch mused, draining his tea cup.

"Doubtful. Even though it's nice to spend time together, all good things must come to an end" Cornelia replied, finishing her own cup.

"You said you were staying in a hotel room?" Lelouch asked.

"Yes. Why?"

"Well...if you wanted to...you could stay in the Villa. We could catch up. And the company would be nice rather than just being stuck alone" Lelouch said, as heat started to rise off his collar.

Even though he was talking to his half sister, he still couldn't talk to most women in general without becoming flustered. Especially attractive ones.

"I'd like that" Cornelia replied with a smile. "I'll phone the hotel and have them ship my stuff over."

"And I need to get someone to call a tailor. This is all I've got" Lelouch said, gesturing to his outfit, sans cape.

"They didn't let you take any stuff from your home?" she asked.

"No. Once Clovis found me, it was a press conference and then on a plane to Pendragon. I didn't even get to say goodbye to Nunnally" Lelouch said, visibly saddened at that point.

"Don't worry, you'll be able to talk to her soon" Cornelia assured as they entered the double doors into the house. She broke off down a separate hallway towards the study/library area, while Lelouch found a butler.

"I'd like for you to contact the royal tailor and have him here tomorrow at 10am sharp, and I have a more...delicate job for you tonight" Lelouch said, before taking the man, whose name was Milton to a secluded room.

"I want you to go out, and get two things for me. First, is a cell phone. Brand new, touch screen. Buy a yearlong contract with it, but nothing extra for that. Then, I need a laptop, also brand new, still in box, never been touched. You'll be rewarded for this" he said, and Milton eagerly agreed.

"Prince Lelouch!" one of the maids shouted "There is a Margrave Jeremiah Gottwald insisting to see you. He says it's urgent."

"Very well then" Lelouch sighed "Have him shown to the gazebo."

He walked back outside and took a seat where he previously was, and waited while drumming his fingers on the tabletop.

* * *

><p>Cornelia came out a minute later, and took the seat on his left like before.<p>

"Hotel get everything sorted out?" he asked.

"Yeah. My stuff should be here within the hour. You get an appointment with the tailor?" she said.

"Yep. He'll be here tomorrow at around 10am" Lelouch said, before he heard raised voices from inside.

A second later, a blur of turquoise hair shot out of the doors and rushed down the pathway, before abruptly dropping to one knee in front of the gazebo and shouting "Your highness, Prince Lelouch, it's really you!" with barely contained joy.

"Uhh, yeah! And hey, Princess Cornelia is here too! Not just me" Lelouch mused.

"Oh ha ha. When did you get so funny" Cornelia said sarcastically.

Lelouch disregarded the comment.

"I assume you're Jeremiah Gottwald?"

"Yes, your highness" the man said, without lifting his head.

"And uh...what can I do for you?" Lelouch asked.

"Not what you can do for me, my prince. It is a question of what I can do for you" Gottwald said, taking a breath before continuing "I was on the guard squad for Lady Marianne. I pled my loyalty to the vi Britannia bloodline and all who are a part of it. The failure of keeping her safe falls squarely on my shoulders. I will take whatever punishment that you see fit."

Lelouch was about to say something before he was interrupted by a militaristic voice cutting through the quiet afternoon.

"Gottwald get up, and listen really good to this" Cornelia bellowed, causing Lelouch to wince due to the proximity "**I** was head of Lady Marianne's guard. I had strict orders to leave her unguarded, even though I fought vehemently against them, I was withdrawn for the day. It was like she knew the assassination was going to take place, so she wanted less people in the vicinity, so it isn't your fault. The fault is whoever the assassin's are."

"Woah. Hold on" Lelouch said, holding his hands up. "You had orders, from _my_ mother, that had the guards withdrawn?"

Cornelia looked at him, as did Jeremiah.

"Yes. The orders were issued by Lady Marianne herself and I couldn't do anything to change that" Cornelia replied, looking down.

_"My mother gave orders to have her guards withdrawn...but...why?"_ Lelouch thought.

"Gottwald, do you have your sidearm on you?" Lelouch asked.

"Yes, your highness" he answered happily, taking the gun out of his coat and handing it to Lelouch.

_"He's not going to...is he?" _Cornelia thought.

Lelouch got up and brushed past Jeremiah, walking at a relaxed pace into the house.

"We need to make sure he doesn't do anything stupid, like kill himself now that he knows that" Cornelia hissed.

Jeremiah's eyes flashed with fear at the thought that his prince would commit suicide knowing that information, so they both rushed after him into the house, but they didn't find him until they heard shouting out by the main gate.

"On no. He didn't" Cornelia muttered as they ran outside, only to find Lelouch standing there, dressing down the guards.

"I don't care if the Emperor himself is knocking on the door! You are to check all personnel for weapons! Doesn't matter if they're military, civilian, or dead! Do not let this happen again, or there will be consequences" he shouted, before turning on his heel and walking away.

He looked at the two people who had fear etched on their faces and simply shrugged his shoulders and said "What?" as he walked along, handing the weapon back to Jeremiah.

"I suppose if we're going to talk, let's do so in the study" Lelouch said as he walked up the stone steps without looking behind him.

* * *

><p>Checking a clock, he saw it was already around 2pm, so the task that he assigned would begin at 9pm when all the servants went to their quarters or to their house outside the palace walls.<p>

He calmly walked through the door of the study/library and took a seat in a large recliner, crossing one leg over the other and patiently waiting for the two people to enter.

They did so a moment later and took seats in other chairs, both watching intently as Lelouch thought of something to say.

Instead, he started laughing for a few minutes and didn't speak until he had stopped, while Cornelia and Jeremiah looked at him like he was crazy.

"Did you guys honestly think I was going to take my own life with that weapon?"

Both of them went from looking at him, to looking at each other.

"We were just making sure, your highness" Jeremiah said, and Cornelia nodded.

"Yes well, you needn't worry about that" Lelouch replied "I have no intentions of killing myself, but, about forgiveness Gottwald."

"Yes, your highness?" he asked tentatively.

"I'm going to need help. Can you plead me your absolute loyalty?" Lelouch asked.

"Most certainly, your highness! Anything for you" he responded with.

"Good. You'll be going back to Area 11 today. I'll be making up a letter for you to give to Ruben Ashford, who is the head of Ashford Academy. Nobody is to read this letter but him. I also suggest that you get a laptop and set up an e-mail account so I can talk to you while you're over there" Lelouch said.

"And then, what shall I do after I give him the letter?" Jeremiah asked.

"Then, you will await further instructions from me, in the form of an e-mail. Here is my address, so you can contact me to tell me that you've got your running" Lelouch said, taking out a card, grabbing a pen, and scribbling his e-mail on it., before handing it to Jeremiah.

"I'll have the letter done within the hour, and after that, go to Area 11, deliver it, and get an e-mail account. I have a few plans" Lelouch said, tenting his fingers. "But until it's ready, you're free to do what you want on the palace grounds, within reason of course."

"Yes, your highness, and thank you, your highness" Jeremiah said, before dropping back to one knee, getting up, and walking out the door.

"I know that look" Cornelia said slyly "That's the look you get when you have a plan."

"So what if I do?" Lelouch replied, giving his best innocent look.

"I don't know...yet" Cornelia replied, getting up and walking out of the study.

"Well, that went well" Lelouch mumbled as he ambled over to one of the three desks in the room and pulled out a sheet of paper to start writing.

* * *

><p>Hours had passed and darkness covered the grounds of Aries Villa. Light shone through a few windows, but with most of the servants gone for the night, Lelouch was silently occupying himself with a book.<p>

Jeremiah had gone onto Area 11 with the letter in hand, and a promise to protect it with his life. Milton had stopped by before he headed out to perform the tasks that Lelouch had given him earlier that day, and Cornelia had been seen off and on coming in and out of the study for various things, which he didn't bother to question.

Dinner had been served several hours earlier, and the only thing keeping Lelouch awake was waiting for his items to arrive, so he decided to spend the time in the library, reading up on a few common tactics, and finding ways around them that would preserve manpower and machines.

His train of thought was interrupted by Cornelia coming through the door and unclasping the cape from around her neck.

"I hope this is the last time you waltz in and out of here" Lelouch said, without looking up from the book.

"Hopefully" she said, hanging the cape over the back of a chair and wandering over to the bookshelves "Euphie sure can talk a lot. She said something about an outing with you tomorrow starting at noon."

"Yeah" Lelouch said, scribbling something in the notebook on his right "She's devised a timetable for me to spend time with her, Schneizel, and you over the next three days. You each get a day. The choice is up to you all for what I need to do with you."

"Come now" Cornelia said, pulling a book off the shelf and laying down on the couch "Would it really be so bad to spend a little time with your family before you're off?"

"I suppose not" Lelouch mused, as his attention returned to the book.

"You do understand that the next three months as an officer cadet are going to be a living hell, right?" she questioned.

"Yeah. I remember the stories you used to tell me back in the day" Lelouch said, grinning as he remembered.

"If anything, they've gotten tougher, so watch yourself" she warned.

"Duly noted" he chuckled, before turning his full attention back to the book.

* * *

><p>There was silence between the two of them, until a knock at the door roused Lelouch from his thoughts.<p>

"Come in" he said.

Milton walked through the door and said "The task has been completed per your orders, your highness."

"Very well. You're dismissed" Lelouch said, and the man bowed and left the room to go home.

"Task?" Cornelia asked, hiking an eyebrow.

"Yeah. I wanted a phone and laptop, both brand new to use for contact. I was just making sure that there were no bugs in the system" Lelouch said.

"Do you really think that somebody would bug a phone or computer that you intend to use?" she asked.

"Can never be too careful" he replied.

"You're paranoid" Cornelia chided.

"Pft. Whatever" he said, writing down some numbers.

* * *

><p>Again, silence settled between the two as they delved deeper into their books until Cornelia broke the silence with a complaint.<p>

"You'd think for a military official, they'd have a better choice of footwear than these boots" she groaned, unzipping them and throwing them to the floor (**A/N:** She's wearing the same uniform that she did in R1).

"Well than why do you wear them?" Lelouch said, without losing focus in his book.

"Two reasons" she said, lifting a finger "First, they're uniform, and you'll learn that a good soldier always wears their uniform properly."

There was silence for a few seconds before Lelouch asked "And the second reason?"

She broke into a wide grin "The second reason is that they help me look hot."

Before Lelouch could stop his mouth, and because his brain was on auto-pilot, he scoffed, quietly "Like you really need that help."

Once his mind processed what he just said, he buried his nose in the book to hide the shade of red that his face was turning.

Cornelia, who had heard this, did the exact same thing Lelouch did, to hide the blush that he had invoked, and she simply said "What?" acting as though she didn't hear.

"Oh, nothing" Lelouch said, quickly rising from his seat. "I'm going to turn in for the night."

"Alright. Goodnight then, and I'll see you tomorrow" Cornelia said, still deep in her book.

* * *

><p>He closed the door to the study and practically ran to his old room, which he would be staying in for the length that he was in the Villa.<p>

_"Brain, what the fuck was that?" _he mentally shouted _"I can't say stuff like that! Although, it's not a lie, because she is very attractive...but it's just wrong. Or is it? No, it is! But maybe not..."_

His debate continued until he pushed open the door to his room and flopped on the bed. One of the servants had been kind enough to leave a pair of pajamas for him to sleep in, and the bags containing the electronics were beside his bed.

Lelouch decided that now was as good a time as any to hear a familiar voice, so he pulled out the phone, turned it on, was delighted with a full battery, and dialed the number that had been etched into his memory.

_"Hello?"_

"Milly?"

_"Yes...who is this?"_

"I'm saddened. One day away and everyone forgets about the Vice-President."

_"LELOUCH! It's you!"_

"Yeah, it's me Milly. And you don't need to shout."

_"Sorry...it's just weird without you here. What's going on with you now?"_

"I'm becoming an officer in the Britannian military. I leave for the academy in a few days."

_"Wow. My boy is all grown up."_

"Come on Prez, I'll visit you all. If I get some time off after my courses are complete I will."

_"You better! So, how did the meeting with your father go?"_

*sigh*

_"That well eh?"_

"Well, he's letting me stay at the Villa I grew up in, and one of my half-sisters is staying here to keep me company."

_"Which one? I know my Britannian royalty."_

"Cornelia."

_"Oh, so you're with one of the very attractive ones. You're enjoying that I assume."_

"Milly! It's nothing like that. We haven't seen each other in seven years. I have a lot to catch up on."

_"Whatever. Think of it how you want. Oh, and most of your fan club has disbanded. All heartbroken because you're gone."_

"Now that is something I won't miss. Girls chasing me all over the place. God, how tedious, and before I forget, a letter for your grandfather should be arriving in several hours. Don't ask what it's about though. How's everyone there?"

_"Fine, Mr. Secretive. But, we're all fine. Shirley is suffering heartbreak from you leaving, and Nunnally is kinda sad, even though Viceroy Clovis came over and spent some time with her, the rest of us are fine."_

"Okay, I'll call Nunnally to talk to her, but expect an e-mail from me in the next few days."

_"Alright Lulu. Good luck with the military academy."_

With that, she hung up.

Lelouch then called Nunnally and had a lengthily conversation with her about everything that had gone on, and she in return had told him how Clovis had come over, and how Schneizel had called.

They talked for a long time, until Lelouch decided it was time to go to bed. He heard footsteps in the hallway outside his room, and the door next to his closing, but dismissed it as Cornelia turning in for the night.

He took off the royal garb that he had been wearing since Clovis had first grabbed him, and changed into a pair of plain pajamas.

Sliding under the silk sheets onto the soft mattress, he surrendered to the throes of sleep and got ready for a long day with Euphemia, who was scheduled to meet him at noon.


	3. A Day with Euphie, and a Starlit Night

**A/N: **Alright, and we're back with our regularly scheduled programing.

Now, before you all get your panties in a twist, yes, I did use some stuff from the story "Dauntless," which is a really good, and really long story.

Don't try and bullshit me with plagiarism anything, because I put a ton of it in my own words, which is exactly what I did when I was in academic level English in high school and never got called out on anything. Besides, have you seen all the time travel stories? All those start basically the exact same. And I spent a good four hours and ten sheets of paper trying to think up a good set of plots, but couldn't, so nyah!

Anyways, let's get to the review responses. You guys have been giving me tons of favorites and follows, so that shows that you're interested. I like it, anyways.

theycallmebeanz- It isn't a rewrite, just trying to use some ideas from another story. And I was actually trying to used the past tense of pledge, which I thought was plead (p-lead). Your criticism is well received and I thank you for it.

Passerby- Refer to note above.

Geasszero- Thanks! As per your request, here is the next chapter.

Cerberus Alpha- Not a re-post, just needed a good starting point.

- Thank you very much.

Cerberus Alpha (Chapter 2)- Yep. Prince Lelouch all the way, but everything will make sense pretty soon. I have a few ideas for why he's letting Nunnally just stay there, but I won't spoil the surprise yet. And about the pairing, I'm pretty old fashioned, so I do one pairing per person, and I can spoil this, Suzaku will be joining the story, so I'm planning on pairing him with Euphemia. And if you kind noticed, I think that LelouchxCornelia is a rarer pairing than LelouchxEuphemia.

Guest- Just the core ideas. It's been re-written to suit my style.

Now that all that is out of the way, on with the story! Please read and review.

* * *

><p>"Come on Euphemia, slow down" Lelouch managed to say as he was still being dragged down on of the many streets of Pendragon.<p>

Even though the girl was a year younger than he, she seemed to have a nearly limitless supply of energy and excitement.

"Euphie, where are we going?" he asked, still getting stares from the people he was being pulled past by the spirited young woman.

"It's a surprise" she said brightly, which earned a groan from Lelouch.

"You know I hate surprises" he said.

"Lelouch" she scolded "I haven't seen you in seven years, now, defer to my judgment, and stop asking questions. Just relax and have a good time."

"Fine" Lelouch grumbled, as he thought about what happened during the, surprisingly dull morning.

* * *

><p><strong>FLASHBACK<strong>

Lelouch awoke and slipped a robe on over his pajamas.

Wandering downstairs to the dining area, he found two plates of eggs, bacon, and toast, as well as a pot of coffee, a jug of orange juice, and a kettle of steaming water and some teabags.

_"Two plates...? Oh right. Cornelia is here too"_ he thought, walking over to a small stack of newspapers and plucking one from the top.

He sat down in front of a plate of food and poured a cup of coffee, while reading the headlines.

**Area 11 Terrorist Attack Yesterday! 5 Britannian's killed, 12 injured!**

**Tensions with the EU at an all Time High!**

**Man eats Underwear to Beat Breathalyzer!**

_"Wait. What was that last one?"_ he thought, opening the paper to the first page.

He was engrossed with reading anything and everything about Area 11 now that he wasn't there, and he probably wouldn't be returning for quite some time, so he decided to keep up on any current events.

He was so deeply in thought, that he didn't even hear Cornelia come down and slide into the chair at the other end of the table.

The only notice was when she spoke, and unfortunately, he was drinking coffee at the time.

"You know, you look just like a married man getting ready for a day at work would."

He promptly spat the coffee back into the mug, and started sputtering, until he managed to say "Excuse me?"

She elaborated, as per his request "Well, you've got the coffee, the breakfast, and the newspaper. The only thing you're missing is the suit and briefcase."

He stared at her with eyes as wide as saucers. "Never say that again. Please."

"Why not?" she replied, with mock sadness.

"Because I'm not married, and spending a day with Euphie is pretty much like work" he said, grabbing his fork and shoveling some food in his mouth.

"Good point" Cornelia said, before starting on her own breakfast.

* * *

><p>Other than that awkward moment, things seemed to be alright. Lelouch finished breakfast and promptly retired to his bedroom to check his e-mails, which he had two of. (<strong>AN:** Okay, the e-mails will be below, in italics, so it's not thinking!)

_To: Lelouch Lamperouge (ChessWiz.a11)_

_From: Jeremiah Gottwald (Jeremiah_Gottwald .mil)_

_Re: Orders_

_As per your instructions, I gave the letter to Mr. Ashford, who seemed overjoyed once he read it. He assured me that you would be hearing from him soon. _

_I have also procured a laptop and had the military set me up with an e-mail account. _

_I stand by awaiting your command, my prince._

_Your faithful servant,_

_Jeremiah Gottwald._

* * *

><p><em>To: Jeremiah Gottwald (Jeremiah_Gottwald .mil)<em>

_From: Lelouch Lamperouge (ChessWiz.a11)_

_Re: Orders_

_Good work Jeremiah. You are to stay in Area 11 performing your regular duties. _

_I want you to introduce yourself to a young woman at Ashford Academy. Her name is Milly Ashford. _

_Mention your connection to me, and your knowledge of who I am, but let nobody else hear this. _

_Princess Nunnally is attending school at Ashford Academy as well, so you may want to introduce yourself to her, also mentioning your connection to me, and Aries Villa. _

_You will remain on standby performing regular military duties, until the time comes where I will order you differently, but that is for later._

_Good luck, and thank you._

_Your friend,_

_Lelouch._

* * *

><p><em>To: Lelouch Lamperouge (ChessWiz.a11)<em>

_From: Ruben Ashford (RA_Dean.a11)_

_Re: Your Proposition_

_Mister Lamperouge, as you are aware, we haven't built Knightmares for quite some time. _

_However, with this proposal that you have forwarded, it has interested me._

_I would like you to elaborate, in any and all ways possible, and I'll see what I can do._

_Thank you for your time,_

_Ruben Ashford, Head of Ashford Academy._

* * *

><p><em>To: Ruben Ashford (RA_Dean.a11)<em>

_From: Lelouch Lamperouge (ChessWiz.a11)_

_Re: Proposal_

_What I would like to do, is build an entirely new sort of Knightmare. _

_You see, a Knightmare is like a jack of all trades, it can do a lot, but it can master none._

_I would like specialty Knightmares built for one purpose. Dealing damage in a large quantity. _

_For a 25% stake in your company, I am willing to offer you 50 million pounds in order to restart your building program, and build me five specialty Knightmares dubbed 'Rattlers' which will be made using the plans enclosed. _

_The deadline for building them is three months today, so if you wish to go through with this, you must start as soon as possible._

_If you prove yourself, you will be given more funding and projects as time goes on._

_Good luck, _

_Lelouch._

* * *

><p>Satisfied with his responses, Lelouch turned off the laptop and was interrupted by a knock at the door.<p>

"Your highness, the tailor you requested has arrived and is waiting for you in the sitting room."

"Thank you" Lelouch called through the closed door as he went through a different door that would take him to his destination faster.

He met with the tailor, was measured, and was told to pick out some things to wear while he was in Aries Villa, with Cornelia voicing her opinions on everything he tried, and took a few sets of casual wear which consisted of button down shirts and dress slacks, as well as a set of formal wear.

He was then forcibly pulled from the house, much to the amusement of Cornelia, by an enthusiastic Euphemia, who first decided it would be a good idea to hug the crap out of him again.

Which is where we rejoin our current story,

* * *

><p>"We're here!" Euphemia proudly announced as they walked inside a large gate.<p>

"We're spending a day at the zoo?" Lelouch asked flatly.

"Not a whole day. Just a little bit. C'mon, where's your sense of childhood fun and adventure?" Euphie asked, as they paid for two tickets and went through the turnstile that lead into the park.

"That disappeared seven years ago" he said darkly, remembering the day.

"But, let's not dwell on the past, let's live in the present" Lelouch said, lightening the mood as they started to walk towards the lion enclosure.

"Right" Euphemia responded with a bright smile.

They meandered through the zoo at a leisurely pace, stopping every few exhibits to see what was inside what, as they made some pointless conversation.

"Let's grab some lunch. I know a great little bistro not too far from here" Euphemia said, after they finished their self-guided tour.

"Alright then" Lelouch replied, gesturing her to lead on.

* * *

><p>They arrived a few moments later, and were promptly fawned over by the wait staff who recognized Euphemia and shot Lelouch dirty looks.<p>

Another few minutes, and orders were placed, so while they waited, they talked.

"Lelouch, are you sure you're cut out for the military?"

"Come on Euphie" Lelouch sighed "You know the kind of mind I've got. Only Schneizel is better than I, but I'd rather not talk about the military now. I'm sure I'll hear enough about it from Cornelia in the next few days."

"Right. Sorry" she said "I hear that Cornelia is staying at Aries Villa with you. Anything you want to tell me about there?"

"Wh-what are you insinuating?" Lelouch sputtered.

"Nothing" she singsonged, leering a little bit at him. "Just you're in the same house, alone, with an attractive woman."

"We're not alone" he feebly defended "The staff is there."

"So you only defended against alone and not the attractive part. Interesting" Euphemia said.

A horrified look crossed his face before turning bright red and sputtering something ineligible.

"Don't worry Lelouch, your secret is safe with me" she said, just as the food arrived.

"Secret? What secret?" he asked, unrolling his napkin and putting it on his lap.

"I won't tell a soul" she said, grabbing her sandwich.

"Euphie, tell me what you're talking about" Lelouch said, getting mildly annoyed.

"And why would I do that? You should already know what I'm talking about" she said, taking a bite.

"Well I don't, so unless you want someone I know finding out who turned their hair from vibrant purple to blue nine years ago, you'll tell me" he deadpanned.

This launched Euphemia into a coughing fit as the incident in question was mentioned, and she took several minutes to recover.

"Alright fine. You keep that secret, and I'll keep the one about you thinking that Cornelia is hot" she said "Sounds like a fair trade to me."

"What are you talking about? I don't find Cornelia hot" Lelouch said, but the blush creeping onto his face telling her otherwise.

"So you think she's ugly? I'll be sure to tell her when I see her next" Euphemia said, taking another bite.

'Th-That's not what I said" he hissed, putting his uneaten lunch down. "You know it isn't what I said."

"Well then, what do you say?" she asked cryptically.

"I...she...well...agh" he said. _"This is why I don't do relationships with ANYONE"_

"That isn't an answer Lelouch" Euphemia chided, still trying to get something out of him.

Lelouch sat, and attempted to find an advisable approach to getting out of this topic, but even with the board out in front of him, he found no way, and before he could say anything else, Euphemia started to quietly sing.

"Lelouch has a crush on Corneliaaa. Lelouch has a crush on Corneliaaa."

"Keep your voice down" he muttered, still deep in thought.

"You didn't deny it, so I won't" she said.

"Well then what do you want me to do?" he asked, sighing deeply.

"I want you to tell the truth" she said, finishing her lunch and wiping her hands. "And after you tell the truth, you can eat."

He looked down at his still untouched lunch and grumbled.

"I don't know what I feel" Lelouch said "A relationship between siblings is usually frowned upon."

"We're royalty Lelouch. The rules about that are null and void" Euphemia said, taking a drink of water.

"I still don't know" he mumbled, finally picking up his sandwich and taking a bite.

"How do you feel when you're around her Lelouch?"

"I don't know. It feels like a conflict that I can't resolve. I just know that I unconsciously say things that I don't want to, and I think she does too" he replied, after finishing a bite.

"What do you mean?" Euphemia asked.

"Well last night, she said something along the lines of 'help me look hot' and I responded with 'like you need the help, and-"

His explanation was broken by Euphemia saying "Awwwhh" softly so that only he could hear.

"Anyways, and then this morning, she said something about me looking like a husband because I had a newspaper, coffee, and breakfast in front of me."

Euphemia looked at him and blinked a few times.

"I've never heard of Cornelia acting that way around anyone else."

"You and me both" Lelouch muttered as he finished his sandwich and called for the bill to be brought over to them.

Lelouch, being a gentleman, paid for their lunches and they left, and were back onto the bright and sunny streets of Pendragon.

"So where are we off to next?" he asked, as they walked by a couple of planters that were overflowing with flowers.

"You'll see" she said, grabbing his hand and dragging him along down the sidewalk again.

* * *

><p>The door to the study was closed with a heavy thud and a male body slammed onto the sofa.<p>

"Euphemia wore you ragged today it seems" Cornelia mused, while managing to keep her laughter in check for the time being.

"God. How can she have so much energy?" Lelouch groaned.

"I don't know" Cornelia said, crossing one leg over the other "So, what did you two do today?"

"We went to the zoo, had lunch, talked, went to a park, went to a street market, had dinner, and then I walked her home" he said, his voice being muffled be the cushion.

"Good, then, for being such a gentleman, I don't need to kill you" she said flatly.

_"She's kidding about that...right?" _he thought, lifting his head and staring at her expression, which had no hint of humor in it. _"Okay, she's not kidding."_

"Well that's good" he said, planting his face back into the soft couch.

"Don't tell me you're all worn out from just spending one day with her" Cornelia remarked, marking her page and closing the novel she was reading.

"I was a mere commoner a few days ago. All I did was go to school and play chess. That doesn't require very much movement" he stated.

"Well that's what I assume you'll be doing tomorrow with Schneizel" she said, picking her book back up and placing it on the table beside her.

"Thank god" he muttered. "So, what did you get up to today?"

"Nothing really" she sighed. "It was really boring here."

"And what was the cause of that?" he mused.

_"You weren't here Lelouch"_ she thought, before saying "I'm not sure."

"Well then, you picked a great place to stay" he said, laughing a little.

"You're the one who asked me to stay" she clarified.

"Well you don't need to stay cooped up inside the Villa all day. If you want me, I'll be out on the deck watching the stars" Lelouch said, getting up off the couch and leaving the room.

* * *

><p>He managed to be alone with his planning for some time.<p>

_"Alright, I rise through the ranks of the military, get a large force under my command and have their loyalty, and then I can turn them against Britannia. With the military power that I could possess, I might actually have a chance in hell to beat Britannia. All I need is-"_

His brooding was interrupted by a door closing behind him, and a body being seated in the chair next to him.

Silence hung in the air until Cornelia spoke.

"Did you get views like this in Area 11?"

"Not really" he replied quietly "The Tokyo Settlement was always abuzz, but if you went outside to a cottage or something, it could be magnificent."

In front of both of them stood the abyss of space. The endless distances and the even more plentiful stars were enough to make even the most hardened individual lean back and enjoy the beauty for a moment or two.

"Makes you wonder, doesn't it?" Cornelia mused.

"What?" Lelouch asked, looking over at her, and noticing how close their chairs actually were.

"If we're really alone in the universe. It's a whole bunch of space, with a whole bunch of galaxies, and a whole bunch of planets. It would be kind of hard to imagine that in all that, we're just alone" she quietly said.

"That's pretty heavy, but you sound like a conspiracy theorist" he said with a light smile getting up off his chair and laying down on the deck.

"What are you doing? Wooden boards more comfortable than a lawn chair? Cornelia chided, hiking an eyebrow, even though he couldn't see it.

"No" he retorted "I just don't want a massive kink in my neck tomorrow when I need to focus on beating Schneizel in chess."

Again, silence descended between the both of them, until a chair shifted to the left and Cornelia placed herself on the deck in a similar fashion next to Lelouch.

"How long has it been since we've just hung out together like the old days?" Cornelia asked.

"Far too long" Lelouch said, folding his hands on his stomach.

Though he acted like he was watching the skies above, he was looking at Cornelia out of the corner of his eye, taking in her sight.

The full, luscious lips, the delicate features of her face, the way her hair was splayed out on the deck, and the reflection of the moonlight off of her.

Unbeknownst to Lelouch, Cornelia was doing the exact same thing as he was.

_"His hair is like silk. I wonder if it's as soft as the last time I saw it" _she thought _"And he is more attractive than he ever was, but I doubt if I tell him my feelings, that he'll accept me."_

Both of them were interrupted by a servant calling out the doors, saying "Princess Cornelia, your sister, Princess Euphemia is on the phone for you."

"Very well, I'll be right in" Cornelia said. "I'll be right back Lelouch, don't run off again."

"Take your time" he said with indifference.

Cornelia nodded, got up, and went inside to talk to Euphemia.

_"This is nuts. I can't have feelings for my half sister. Even though Euphemia argued a good point about royalty. Maybe something could come to fruition if I tried, but I doubt that she'd accept me" _Lelouch thought after the door had closed.

He let out a heavy sigh and continued to stare into the chasm of space.

* * *

><p>(<strong>AN:** Time for another phone conversation! Euphemia is in italics! Bye!)

Cornelia on the other hand, was just picking up the phone at this time.

"What is it Euphie?" she asked, slightly annoyed.

_"Ohhh, am I interrupting your Lelouch time?"_

"What? No! Nothing like that!" she covered "I was just working on some battle plans."

_"Suuuuuure you were. I totally believe you. Battle plans for getting Lelouch to yourself."_

Cornelia could practically feel her rolling her eyes on the other side of the phone.

"Euphie, what would you like?"

_"Are you gonna tell him?"_

"Tell who what?" Cornelia asked, feigning cluelessness.

_"Just tell Lelouch how you feel. Do it for yourself. You'll feel a lot better."_

"We went over this when we first heard he was alive. It's easy without someone in front of you, but when he's actually there, it's different."

_"Oh don't tell me that the Goddess of Victory, is shy! OH MY GOD YOU TOTALLY ARE!"_

"Not so loud Euphie!" Cornelia hissed into the phone.

_"Why? It's not like he can hear us. What were you really doing when I called?"_

Cornelia sighed and explained "We were laying out on the deck side by side looking at the stars."

_"How romantic" _Euphie cooed _"It would be a perfect time to tell him."_

"He might detest the idea. I don't even know how he feels about me!"

_"And THAT is the reason I'm calling you."_

"You're calling to tell me that he might detest the idea?"

_"No! I'm calling to tell you how he feels about you."_

"And how would you know?" Cornelia asked, feeling a slight tinge of hope rise in her body.

_"Easy. It was our lunch conversation."_

The only sound between the two of them was the breathing into the phone, until Cornelia broke it with an impatient "Well?"

_"Well what?"_

Cornelia felt like smacking her head against a wall. Her sister had vital information on the person that she fell in love with, and she wasn't sharing! How rude!

"Are you going to tell me what he thinks about me?"

_"That depends."_

"On what?"

_"What you're going to do after the fact."_

"Ugh...I don't know" Cornelia admitted honestly. "I'll need the information to see what it tells me."

_Fiiiiiine. He's got an internal conflict raging inside him. Probably the logical section of his body is saying no, while the male side of his body is saying yes. He worded it as 'a conflict I can't resolve, which causes me to say things unconsciously."_

"Well, the conflict I get, but the saying things unconsciously I don't" Cornelia replied, pausing in thought.

_"He did mention something along the lines that you said 'help me look hot' to which he responded with 'like you really need the help.' Does that sound familiar?"_

Cornelia gasped and started to blush again like she did the night before. "I remember that."

_"Well if my love skills are up to par, and they are in my opinion, he likes you."_

"Interesting" Cornelia mused "He was always one to get flustered around women, so he would deny that he said any of that."

_"Yes."_

"So then, why are you helping me? I know you've got a massive crush on Lelouch and you have for years."

_"I want to see you happy for once. I mean, come on Cornelia, you always do your best to make me happy, it's the least I can do to make you happy."_

"That's very...mature of you."

_"I know. But you'll treat him right or I will hurt you."_

"Duly noted" Cornelia replied, laughing slightly.

_"So...what is this 'plan' that you've come up with for tonight?"_

"That, is for me to know, for Lelouch to find out, and for you to hear about when he leaves for the academy."

_"WHAT! Come on sis! I helped you out! I want to know!"_

"Sorry Euphie, you'll just need to make due."

_"Good thing I have an imagination."_

"Don't start with that! I'll-" Cornelia was cut off quickly by Euphemia shouting _"Love you, bye!"_

then slamming the phone down on her end.

"I don't know what I'm going to do with her" Cornelia muttered as she hung up the phone and started to walk back towards the deck.

* * *

><p>Lelouch once again heard the door open and shut, even though his senses was starting to be clouded be tiredness.<p>

"So, what did Euphie want?"

"Oh, just checking in on me. Making sure I behave myself" she said, lying back down on the deck the same as before, albeit closer to Lelouch.

"And are you behaving yourself?" he asked, still in the same position as before.

"I don't know. You haven't kicked me out yet, so I assume so" she replied, before slightly shivering.

"Are-are you cold?" Lelouch asked, turning his attention towards her.

"A little bit" Cornelia answered, running her hands up and down her arms to try and generate a little heat.

"I haven't been here in a long time, but they should still have it" Lelouch said, getting up and walking to a trunk against the side of the house and popping the lid.

"What are you looking for?"

"I'll let you know when I- Aha! Found it!" Lelouch said, dropping the lid and putting the pin back through to keep the lid closed.

He walked back over and handed her a soft blanket.

"I can't believe that they really left that there, and washed it too" he mused, laying back down as Cornelia covered herself with the blanket.

"Why is that even there?" Cornelia asked, stifling a yawn.

"When Euphie would come over, we would usually do this nightly, but she would always get cold, so I asked the servants to leave a blanket in that chest for her" he said, smiling slightly at the memory "She would always cuddle up with me while I watched the stars, and then fall asleep, so I would have someone take her in for the night a little bit after she did that."

_"Note to self: Ask Euphie about that when you get the chance" _she thought, before she heard,

"Well look, a shooting star" he said, pointing into the sky where there was indeed a silver trail streaking through the blackness.

_"They say shooting stars will grant wishes, so I better wish for something" _they both thought at the exact same time, before closing their eyes and making a wish in sync.

Both of them let out a silent sigh once their wishing was complete, as Lelouch had to stifle a yawn this time.

_"Alright, and GO!" _Cornelia shouted at herself, before throwing half the blanket on Lelouch, who looked at her quizzically.

Her response was simply "You looked cold" to which he nodded and pulled the blanket up to his neck.

_"Okay, halfway there" _she thought, stopping another yawn in its tracks, and watching Lelouch's eyes start to droop.

Slowly and carefully, she slid over and snuggled up to the side of him.

Of course, Lelouch instantly tensed at this. _"Brain, help me out here!" _he mentally screamed, and was answered by _"Just go with the flow dude. Go with the flow."_

Of course, he didn't question why his brain referred to him like a surfer, but he slowly relaxed all the muscles that had initially strained.

Cornelia felt this, and rested her head on his chest, hearing his heart through the thin layers of fabric that separated him from her.

She felt him rest his head on top of hers, and loop one of his long arms around her shoulders, pulling her a little closer.

Her last conscious thought before surrendering to sleep was _"VICTORY!"_


	4. Memories and Time with Schneizel

**A/N:** Hey folks! You're lucky! I felt inspiration strike, and you're getting this chapter a full day earlier than my usual upload schedule.

A few things though...If I put EA in it at all, I mean EU. Mostly because EA is part of an alliance I'm in elsewhere, and it's a force of habit to write it.

Also, because I forgot to mention this for two straight chapters (Damn my memory), the characters are probably pretty OOC, so...yeah.

Now, only 4 reviews for the last chapter? What is this? I need more! Always gotta have more! But, I'll start the responses now...

theycallmebeanz- Your two cents have been noted and added to the jar of my retirement fund.

Anyways...In response to your questions and statements...1:That was merely a small tease. Things wont really start kicking off until (SPOILER ALERT) war with the MEF comes to fruition. 2: I feel the need to add the notes, because I have seen in reviews for other stories, where there are conversations in italics which are over the phone, and people have said "I don't know why they're talking to themselves for that long. Doesn't make sense." I am just trying to avoid getting any of those, but I will try to avoid anymore of those notes.

agarfinkel- Yes he will! Read on to find out! And I haven't read/watched those so I don't think I'll be adding any characters.

Lord Strife- Well, thanks for your words. Onto what about Marrybell...considering that I haven't seen her, I've only watch Code Geass and Code Geass R2, I may be able to work something in later, but I'll need to do tons of research on the character.

Cerberus Alpha- I can't give you all my secrets yet, about the Knightmares...those will come in time. Anyways, I am still considering using Milly and C.C. so the idea hasn't totally been scrapped, it's just that with every story I've done, it's only had one pairing, and doing a multiple pairing might be a little tricky for me to do. Well, I'm not a big fan of Suzaku either, so I may have something in store for him later. You'll need to read the authors note at the end to answer the question in a review.

Anyways, here is the next chapter of Into the Fray.

* * *

><p>Lelouch stood in the shower, washing the grime off of him that he had gathered from his long outing with Euphemia.<p>

He had meant to shower the previous night, but had fallen asleep while on the back deck after Cornelia had thrown the blanket over top of his body.

However, falling asleep on the deck was one thing, waking up was a whole other story.

* * *

><p>Flashback to two hours ago...<p>

Lelouch could hear the birds chirping and the leaves rustling as a light wind blew around the Villa.

_"Odd...I didn't think I left my bedroom window open. Smells like lilacs though"_ he thought, as he burrowed deeper into the covers, feeling a strange, but pleasant heat beside him radiating onto his own body.

He moved towards the source of heat, and when that source started to shift, he began to wonder.

Cracking a sleep encrusted eye against the sunlight, he saw something that was both good and bad.

Cornelia's face was inches from his own. She was the picture of pure serenity.

A small smile was gracing her face, and her hair fell naturally around her, making her look all the more attractive.

She was totally relaxed and happy.

And she was currently holding Lelouch in a death grip hug, as if he would float away if she let go of him.

_"Okay, I need to get out of this, and fast"_ he thought as the gears in his head started to turn.

Lelouch began to shift a little to the left, and her grip slightly slackened as he moved.

That's when an idea hit him like a freight train.

Lelouch carefully pulled the blanket off of Cornelia, who immediately started to shiver a little.

His plan worked like a charm as she let go of him to grab the blanket back, and while he was free for a few crucial seconds, he rolled several feet away on the deck.

He felt a little bad about having to do that, especially when she was providing so much heat for him.

It felt weird, but it felt nice...it felt...normal.

Every day before he was spotted and grabbed by Clovis' men, he had lived a lie. His life was a lie, his back-story was a lie, and even his name was a lie.

_"Was being normal in this case so bad?"_ he mused as he quietly opened the doors to the estate.

Seeing several people working and walking around, he went to the largest guard and said "Could you please take Princess Cornelia up to her room and place her on her bed, and try not to wake her."

"At once, your highness" the man said, as he opened the doors to the outside.

By then, Lelouch had disappeared. He had begun pacing up and down one of the many corridors, one of the ones that wasn't heavily travelled so he wouldn't be interrupted as he thought.

He paced up and down that hallway for nearly two hours, until giving up on attempting to figure out why he was feeling the way he was. Why it felt nice to be held by another person while in slumber.

Though, he grudgingly had to admit that it was one of the best rests that he had in a long time.

* * *

><p>Current time...<p>

With his shower finished, Lelouch stepped out of the stall and dried the water off his body before putting on the clothes that he had brought with him into the washroom.

There was a full day ahead, with a chess match against his older brother Schneizel, several meetings with high nobles that wanted to meet him, also which Schneizel had set up, and a trip to the BPO (Britannian Philharmonic Orchestra) to see a performance.

The only thing that Lelouch was interested in, was the game of chess.

Chess with Schneizel was always interesting. Back in the days when he was still a member of the royal family before his mother was murdered, they had always played with a relaxed, yet hardened demeanor.

They talked about politics, stocks, history, and generally anything that would earn a deeper discussion. They played, but it wasn't speed chess, or anything like that. Moves were made after minutes of studying the board and attempting to find a strategy that would break the other, which Schneizel always did, much to the dismay of Lelouch.

_"That won't happen though"_ Lelouch thought, pulling his robe off the hook on the back of the door and taking it back to his room _"I've had seven years to perfect this tactic. It's worked every time against everyone I've played and it will work against him. I know it will."_

Stopping at Cornelia's room, he opened the door a little bit and saw her snoozing peacefully on her mattress.

A rare smile came onto his face as he shut the door with a silent click, allowing her to sleep on while he got breakfast.

Again, it was the same thing, except there was a plate of pancakes. There was still the newspaper, coffee, tea, juice, etc.

The only sounds were the quiet movement of a fork on a plate, and the sound of a newspaper being rustled as the pages were turned.

But today, he was just skimming the paper, not actually reading it. His mind was recalling memories from pleasant times at the Villa, where the four of them used to be on a daily basis.

With a far off look in his eyes, and a wan smile on his face, he thought of a happier time.

* * *

><p>Seven years ago...<p>

"Tag! You're it!" Nunnally shouted, as she jabbed ten year old Lelouch in the back.

"No fair! I wasn't ready!" he retorted, quickly taking off after the now giggling Euphemia who was in on the plan to start the game, while a set of eyes looked on with passive amusement.

Lelouch had managed to chase them around all of three hundred feet before stopping to catch his breath. So what, he might not have been the most athletic person, but he still had his status in the royal family.

"I...swear" he said as he panted for breath "One day...I'll...be faster...than both of...you. That...is a promise."

"Alright you two, time to stop antagonizing Lelouch" a voice yelled, causing Lelouch to get up from his position, with a large smile on his face and run to the source.

Cornelia grabbed him in her arms and lifted him off the ground in a hug, before putting him down and hugging Nunnally and Euphie in turn.

"It's time for lunch you three, so go and get washed up" she said, shooing them into the house with a smile on her face.

* * *

><p>Many hours later...like...almost bedtime for children, whatever that is nowadays...<p>

Euphemia and Nunnally looked on while Lelouch played a 'friendly' game of chess with his brother Clovis.

"Lelouch, I have no idea how you're so good" Clovis grumbled, eliciting a cocky smile from Lelouch as he put Clovis in checkmate with a final move of his knight.

"It's because he actually uses strategy and tactics. Maybe you should just stick to painting Clovis" Cornelia mused, eliciting a laugh from all present, except for Clovis.

"Thank you for the game brother. Good night" Lelouch said, after getting up, and shaking Clovis' hand.

"Good night" Clovis said, pausing to give a hug to Nunnally and Euphemia.

Once he was out of earshot, Lelouch muttered "He is a real dandy of a prince."

Cornelia hid a smirk that was appearing as Lelouch chuckled to himself.

"Come now, it's time to get ready for bed" Cornelia said, with a chorus of groans after that.

"Tell you what" she said, tapping her chin with her index finger "If you're all in bed in the next five minutes, teeth brushed and all, I'll read you a story."

Nunnally and Euphemia were off like a shot to the stairs, as Lelouch simply meandered along behind them, taking his sweet time, but still managed to make it in before the slot expired.

With Euphemia and Nunnally snuggled in one bed, and Lelouch lying in the other, Cornelia walked in and pulled a book off the shelf, and sitting on the side of Lelouch's bed.

It was a fairytale, which would appease the younger girls, but Lelouch could at least feign interest in the story for the sake of the two girls.

She started with "Once upon a time..."

* * *

><p>Roughly 43 minutes later...<p>

"The end" Cornelia said, shutting the book, and looking at the two girls. Both Nunnally and Euphemia were fast asleep.

Looking at Lelouch, he was still awake, but fighting off the hold that sleep was getting on him.

Cornelia stood back up and walked over to the shelf, replacing the book, and getting a copy of a book called Jackdaws by Ken Follett, and sitting back down, pressing a finger to her lips, telling Lelouch to stay quiet.

"Sister?" he interrupted, after a few moments of silence.

Cornelia put down her book and said "Yes Lulu?"

"Will we always be together?"

This caused her to furrow her brows in thought, trying to decipher what the young boy was asking, but he elaborated anyways.

"I mean, when we're older, will we not be together? You mean more to me than anyone, and I never want to lose you" he said, looking at her hopefully.

This caused Cornelia to smile "Lulu, as long as you are breathing, I'll be with you. Forever and always."

His face lit up with a large smile at what the purple haired woman had said.

"Really?" he asked.

"Really" she affirmed, causing a small smile to break onto her face.

Lelouch nodded, and tried, but failed, to stifle a large yawn. Cornelia pulled him into a light hug, and allowed his head to rest on her well developed chest, letting her heartbeat lull him to sleep.

"Good night Lulu. Sleep well" she quietly said, feeling sleep grab onto her as well.

None of them knew, that in a week's time, things would be completely upside down and all four of them would face a tragedy never imagined.

* * *

><p>Present time...<p>

_"That's the only time that I kinda liked it when someone called me Lulu"_ he thought.

Lelouch was broken out of his recollection by Milton tapping him on the shoulder.

"Your highness, Prince Schneizel has arrived."

"Very well" Lelouch sighed "Have him shown to the gazebo and bring tea and my personal chess set."

"Yes, your highness" Milton said, before turning around.

Lelouch let out another sigh, finishing his coffee and looking at the clock.

_"I've got another 10 hours hanging out with Schneizel. Well, it will be good to see him again, and beat him in a game...or all of them"_ Lelouch thought, getting up from the table and walking out into the fresh air.

* * *

><p>Cornelia awoke on a strangely comfortable deck.<p>

_"I don't get it. Wooden boards shouldn't be this comfortable"_ she thought groggily as she opened her eyes and saw she was lying on her bed, in her room.

"Oh" was all she said.

The last thing that she had remembered before falling victim to sleep, was Lelouch wrapping his arm around her under the stars.

_"It would've been a good time to tell him"_ she mentally cursed herself.

On the battlefield, she was calm, cool, and collected. She took everything in stride, unless it was an immediate threat, and it usually wasn't.

But when faced with...feelings and emotions, it didn't turn out to well.

"Someone must've carried me to bed, though it probably wasn't Lelouch" she mused out loud, getting up and shedding the clothing that she had worn the day before, and slipping on a robe before walking to her personal bathroom and drawing a hot bath.

After fully immersing her body in the steaming water, her mind began to wander to how this all began.

She knew it, he body knew it, and her mind knew it, but she wouldn't admit it to anyone else, other than her sister, that she had fallen in love with Lelouch vi Britannia.

She recalled the days after he had been exiled, where she had sat in her room and done nothing. She showed up for her daily duties, but when she was finished, she just went and fell into a dreamless sleep.

She then recalled the days following the invasion of Japan, and the news of hearing that her siblings were killed.

Those were, by far, the worst days of her life. She begged to be sent to the newly conquered Area 11, but was refused every time.

Cornelia shuddered at the memories buried deeply in her mind.

During three days, she sat in her room and cried. She cried for the loss of Nunnally and for the loss of her Lulu.

She didn't leave to eat, and even though she had an adjoining bathroom, she didn't bathe.

What she did do in the end, was swear to find out whoever had killed her siblings, and avenge their deaths.

She swore never to cry, never to be weak, and never to show emotion.

Finally though, she was allowed over to help usher in the Britannian rule over the new area.

The first place she went after disembarking her transport, and much to the annoyance of her general, was to the Kururugi Shrine, which is where she knew that her siblings were staying to at least try and find a body.

But again, it was as if god was rejecting that simple act to her.

All Cornelia had found after hours of digging through the destruction was a lone black king from a chess set. A set that she recognized as Lelouch's.

From that day onwards, she thrust herself into her work, becoming the 'Witch of Britannia' and a slayer of numbers.

The only person that she felt anything towards, was Euphemia, but it wouldn't be on the same level that she had put Lelouch on.

She had assured herself that she would marry someone like him one day. Cold and calculated in their work, but off duty, fun and loving.

Those dreams were shattered after the news of his death.

But when Euphemia had called her hotel room and told her to turn on the television to the Clovis Network (yes, that is the name of a channel) she was utterly and completely shocked to hear a voice that she never thought she would hear again.

And for the first time in seven years, Cornelia li Britannia cried. She cried for joy that Lelouch was alive. It hadn't been until after he was sent to Japan, that Cornelia had realized that she was in love with him, and that he would never know her feelings towards him, but, with him found, he could finally learn how she really felt towards him.

The only problem for Cornelia, was actually telling him.

With all these thoughts fresh in her mind, Cornelia let out a sigh as she stepped out of the bath and began to dry her body.

A few minutes later, while buttoning her blouse, she glanced out into the yard of the Villa and saw two shadows hunched over the table at the gazebo.

_"Well, I guess Schneizel is here, and they're playing. I'll have breakfast, and then watch. Maybe Lelouch could draw this match rather than losing"_ she thought, opening the door to her room and going to the dining area.

* * *

><p>Several minutes earlier...<p>

"How long has it been since we've played like this brother?" Schneizel asked, making the first move with his white knight.

"Far too long" Lelouch replied, looking at the board.

"I agree" Schneizel replied, as Lelouch moved a pawn forwards.

"So" Schneizel started, taking a small sip from the cup of tea "How did Area 11 treat you?"

"Rather well. I enjoyed living among regular people without too much to worry about other than keeping my grades up" Lelouch said.

"I can only imagine" Schneizel replied, pushing a pawn forward to block Lelouch's.

"But...what was it like during the war?" he asked.

Lelouch froze for a moment as memories flooded back to his mind.

"Not good" he muttered, shaking the thoughts from his head and resuming concentration on the game.

Their light banter continued for another twenty minutes, as pieces were taken by both men. In the end, Lelouch had an extra pawn and both rooks, while Schneizel had one rook, but both bishops.

"What do you think of the situation between the Middle Eastern Federation and Britannia?" Schneizel asked, moving one of his bishops to block Lelouch's queen, which had his king in check.

"Deteriorating and quickly at that" Lelouch said grimacing, before putting his hand on his chin "I give peace another three months. Maybe a little less unless you go and play diplomat with them."

"I've tried to get over there" Schneizel said, tenting his fingers "But every time, they reject the offer."

"Doesn't bode well then" Lelouch said, moving one of his pawns and setting his plan into motion.

"No it really doesn't" Schneizel retorted, moving his only rook. "But, we shouldn't be in any real trouble against them...unless the EU gets involved."

"That's something I don't need" Lelouch replied "I just know I'll be sent to fight the MEF once my training is complete, but I don't want the EU getting in the way of that."

"Yes, that would be a struggle, trying to knock out both of them" Schneizel quietly said, before watching Lelouch make another seemingly useless move.

Again, talk of politics, news, and stock markets kicked off and the game really started to get into gear.

* * *

><p>Twenty MORE minutes later...<p>

Schneizel had noticed something different in his brother.

No, it wasn't the chess moves, but those were starting to make him sweat a little, mostly because he was put on the run twice, from Lelouch getting close to calling checkmate, but he managed to wiggle out of it each time.

No, what had changed, happened about ten minutes prior...

_"What happened then?" _he thought _"Well, Cornelia came out."_

He glanced at the woman in question, who was seated between the two of them, watching the game intently.

_"That's it!"_ he thought, eyes widening with realization _"The squared shoulders, sitting slightly taller, the relaxed look on his face...it all makes sense now. But, I'll not mention anything that would ruin the tension of the game, because this is a good one."_

Lelouch, on the other hand, was smiling inwardly. _"Yes Schneizel, your next move will be your downfall, and I already know what it is."_

Although it didn't really help his concentration, when Cornelia bumped her leg into his under the table, it didn't matter. The trap had been sprung the moment the game started.

Schneizel moved his king to the far right row of the board, causing Lelouch to move one of his rooks to the row next to it, barring any movement other than forwards and backwards.

By this time, Lelouch had a small grin on his face, while Schneizel wore a deep frown.

He was without a queen, and his only piece, other than two pawns, was a knight that was too far away from the fight to help.

He made a last ditch effort, taking Lelouch's final bishop down with him, as Lelouch shifted his other rook onto the row that Schneizel's king occupied. With nowhere to go, Lelouch uttered one, quiet word.

"Checkmate."

The three of them just stared at the board, unmoving, until Lelouch said...

"Good game, brother" and lifted his hand for Schneizel to shake, which he did after a moment.

"I knew I couldn't stay on top forever" he said, with a small laugh "Do tell me, what strategy did you use?"

This question made Lelouch smile a little more.

"My own. It hasn't failed me in a game before, so I decided to use it here."

"Well, it certainly was an excellent match, but we should be off. I promised the nobles that we would meet for lunch in twenty minutes" Schneizel said, getting up from his chair and stretching.

"Very well" Lelouch said, also getting up, and cracking his back.

* * *

><p>The meetings went about as well as could be expected.<p>

Schneizel introduced him to all the people who he really didn't care to meet, mostly because when left alone with them, all the nobles talked about was how to make their deep pockets even deeper.

When Lelouch attempted to bring up charity donations, or donations for widows of soldiers lost in battle, all the nobles looked at him like he had four heads.

_"Of course they don't care about that"_ Lelouch thought, grabbing a few items of food from the trays that the waiters carried around the room _"All they care about is themselves. It makes me sick."_

The afternoon continued much of the same, with meeting people who either didn't like that he was the spawn of the Emperor and a commoner woman, or people who just talked about increasing their own wealth.

_"These are the first people to go when the new Britannian Empire is built by me" _he thought, as he noticed a young woman walking towards him.

"May I help you?" he asked.

"You're Lelouch vi Britannia?" she said.

"Yes I am, and it seems you have me at a disadvantage Ms...?"

"Oh! Sorry" she said "Lady Shelia Thompson, daughter of Duke Richard Thompson."

Lelouch appraised the girl. Of course she was attractive, and it seemed like she was intelligent.

"What can I do for you Lady Thompson?" he asked, glancing around for his brother to rescue him, and get him away from this meeting.

It was the final one, and the only other thing on the list for the day was to go to the symphony, which was something he could actually enjoy without being bothered every fifteen seconds by someone coming up to him and striking up a conversation.

"Please, call me Shelia, your highness" she said, breaking him out of his mental workings.

"Well then, call me Lelouch if you would" he said, still looking around.

"Something wrong Lelouch? You seem a little...tense" she said, taking a step closer.

"Ah, just looking for my brother" he said, mentally screaming though.

"Well, there are certain things that a woman can do for a man when he's tense" Shelia purred.

"Are you coming on to me?" Lelouch asked, his face becoming red.

"I don't know" she replied, taking another step as he backed up "Is it working?"

_"Gotta get out. This woman is crazy! Where the fuck is Schneizel" _he thought, as the woman took another step towards him.

"Come on, let's ditch this gathering and get acquainted" she said, putting a hand on his chest.

"I-I'm sorry, but I-I c-can't" Lelouch sputtered, removing her hand.

"Why not?" she pouted.

And before his brain could stop him, he said "Because I don't really feel that way with you, but there is someone who I may feel that way towards when I sort my things out."

Horrified with what he said when he replayed it in his head, he simply turned on his heel and walked out into the night air, his cape fluttering as the door shut.

Schneizel walked up to the young woman.

"Well?" he asked.

"He's got it bad" she said.

"Just as I thought" he affirmed. "Good work Shelia, and thank you."

He turned to follow his brother out the large doors before Shelia shouted at him "I expect my..._reward_...soon."

Schneizel nodded and continued into the chilly air where he found Lelouch resting against the railing.

"Come on, or we'll miss the downbeat" Schneizel said, as their limousine pulled up at the bottom of the steps.

* * *

><p>The symphony was at least nice. They had played one of the newer things, which had happened to be The Greatest Video Game Music, first performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, and then gaining popularity over in mainland Britannia.<p>

By the time he arrived back at the Villa, all the lights were dark, save for the wall lights and the lights at the guard station.

He wandered through the halls on memory, his mind tired due to all the events that had transpired that day, until reaching his room, opening the door, closing it, and shucking his cape off on the back of a chair.

_"Just two more days here, and then I'm left on my own in the academy. It should fly by"_ Lelouch thought as he started to tug at his cravat to loosen it.

"Today wasn't that bad...well excluding the meetings...and that chick trying to come on to me. I wish Schneizel would have flipped the chess board in my victory though. God, that would've been funny" he mumbled throwing the tie in one of the chairs and starting to undo the buttons of his shirt.

"My plan for overthrowing the emperor has already been put into motion. With the money I've saved from the past five years of underground chess matches, I'll have enough to fund my private Knightmare factory for quite some time" Lelouch said quietly, hoping that nobody was around, which he was right "Although, I won't really be using Knightmares in combat, unless they're the specialized versions."

His thoughts turned to Ruben, probably getting his team together, or at least starting to, and buying the materials required for the frames.

_"The hardest part will probably be the electromagnetic interaction between the bearings" _he thought, taking off his pants and setting them on the chair, before pulling his boxers off and grabbing the silk pajama's off the bed.

_"That, or the firing and reloading systems...or maybe the composition of explosives...or possibly the kinetic impact timers"_ he thought.

But he knew that if anyone was capable of doing it, it was Ruben. He was one of the few people who would be able to actually figure out the specs for the machines that he had ordered.

The plans had been drawn out when Sutherlands were still on the drawing board. Most people thought it was unhealthy for a younger teen to be designing a type of Knightmare, but Lelouch merely did it to keep himself busy.

But, those would be needed when war with the MEF finally reared its ugly head.

With those thoughts in mind, Lelouch got under the covers which draped his bed, shut off the light on his night table, and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

><p>Cornelia however, was still awake. Sitting at the desk in her room, she had heard a muffled set of footsteps pass her door, the door next to hers open and close, and then...silence was brought back unto the Villa.<p>

Tomorrow was the day that she was spending with Lelouch, and she had no idea what to do. Of course, Euphemia had made a small list of things that were possibilities, but none of them really struck with her.

Museums, walks, and then nothing.

_"I need to find something that we'd both enjoy"_ she thought, tapping her pen on her still blank piece of paper.

An idea stuck her as a smile became evident on her face, as she scribbled an idea down in elegant scrawl.

"This should keep us busy for hours and tire us out" she muttered, folding the paper and leaving it on her desk.

The last thing that she did before slipping under the soft sheets was to turn off the light and hide the wicked smile that she had.

Lelouch had no idea what was in store for him on the following day.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** So, I hear that some of you don't like Suzaku. Well, you're not alone.

Now, for an important question!

As you know, or should know, Suzaku will be paired with Euphemia, however, if there is a strong enough voicing against it, I might be able to change it. That wasn't the question though. The question is...

Should Suzaku die in this story? Or be wounded in battle? If wounded, how badly?

Please leave your answer in the reviews, and I'll tabulate the results before the next chapter is out, and inform you of what is happening.


	5. Spending the Day with your Older Sister

**A/N: **Here we are, back again for another dose of Into the Fray. You guys are great! Several reviews and more follows and faves. Makes me happy to see that people appreciate my work.

It seems as though the results to the question I posed to you all has been answered. Suzaku will DIE! Boy, you folks really hate him, but then again, I do too. That's going to be a real pity for Euphie when he does die. The poor girl will be totally heartbroken.

Anyways, there will be another question at the end of this chapter, that will pertain to the future of the story, and will be fairly important to what will happen, but it'll be along the lines of the relationship that this story is pushing along.

Also, there are a few short forms in this chapter, and I'll tell them to you just in case you don't know them.

KMF= Knightmare Frame

PMA= Pendragon Military Academy

Also, there's going to be radio chatter later, which will be bolded in quotes, so I think you can guess what that pertains to, and what it will pertain to in the future.

Now, onto the reviews that I got!

death'ssontripo- Hellsing? Never heard of it! Sorry :P

LordGhostStriker- Interesting position

theycallmebeanz- Well, I'm glad that you enjoyed the flashback, because there is another one in this chapter too!

Lordban- Your points are very good, and they make a compelling argument, however, they would seriously interfere with the plotline that I'm chugging along with, but it is a very good set of ideas.

Kaiya Smith- He is willing to accept death, but I'm going to make it happen in such a stupid way, that he'll probably have been more disgraced than if he was put in a wheelchair, though the horribly wounded was kinda what I was pulling for, but even though this is my fic, I've got some good ideas for his death.

Geasszero- You'll need to look at the question at the end of this for answers to your other questions, but Suzaku will die.

XIII Xemnaz- Thanks for your kind words mate! There aren't too many Prince Lelouch stories, so I just decided to add one more to the small but growing group. But, I'm usually a kinda funny person, so humor is just something that I can do. It also helps that I play wayyy too much Mass Effect and love whenever Joker makes a joke. So...you want a guillotine to be what kills Suzaku? I'll see what I can do.

Cerberus Alpha- Maybe he did throw the games! Plot twist right there. In earlier chapters, I had said that Lelouch did some physical training, assuming that he continued working out even after the invasion, but not a whole bunch, so he isn't a muscle bound hulk, but he isn't a weakling like he was in the show. I'm still working out how to handle the Ragnarök Connection, but I have a few ideas, and Lelouch will be getting Geass in this story, just to spoil that. But along to the other point, Suzaku will die in a stupid manner.

Kirinthor- It may not be just one pairing for much longer, but thanks for reading.

Darkfinder (ch1)- Well, you've succeeded in butchering the English language. (ch2) Yes, fun stuff...

* * *

><p>Lelouch awoke, not unlike the two previous mornings, except this time he was alone, and in his own bed once again.<p>

Groggily, he remembered that he would be spending the day with Cornelia doing whatever she had planned, which he didn't know whether to be glad, or terrified.

Like the morning before, he took a shower and dressed in grey slacks and a black shirt.

Descending the stairs and walking to the dining room, he saw Cornelia already waiting at the table, drinking a cup of coffee, and dressed in...a military uniform...?

That in itself didn't disconcert him. What disconcerted him was the stark black duffel bag beside her chair.

Unknowing of its contents, he wasn't that happy. He was actually a little nervous. He hadn't seen it brought in with her few other bags when she had her stuff moved from the hotel to the Villa, so it meant that somebody had come by and dropped it off.

With his train of thought chugging along, he didn't even notice Cornelia turn around to greet him.

"Morning sleepyhead."

"Huh? What?" you could nearly hear the screech of steel as the train derailed at that. "Sleepyhead?"

"Well, it's eleven in the morning" she said, looking at her watch "You haven't slept this late in all the time you've been here."

"Well, just tired from spending a boring day at social gatherings I guess" he muttered, sitting down and plucking a piece of toast off the plate in front of him, and pouring a cup of coffee.

A barely noticeable frown crossed Cornelia's face. Lelouch needed to be in a good mood to fully enjoy what she was going to do with him today.

"Well don't worry Lelouch" she assured him "I can promise you'll enjoy today."

"Does today have anything to do with that black duffel bag that you've got?" he asked, hiking an eyebrow.

"Why yes. Yes it does" she said, and left it at that.

The moment his attention was drawn somewhere, she laughed silently.

Cornelia knew he was racking his brain to try and figure out what was in the duffel bag, but she also knew by the look in his eyes when he turned back that he had absolutely no clue what was inside it.

They finished breakfast, all the while making light conversation, mostly Cornelia asking about what he did with Schneizel the previous day.

Finally, at Cornelia's instruction, they got up and went to the circular driveway, where the limo was waiting.

They got in the backseat, but before they started driving, Cornelia pulled a long band of cloth out of her breast pocket.

"Turn around" she said.

"Why?" Lelouch asked.

"Because I need to blindfold you. Even you aren't allowed to see where we're going" Cornelia said.

"That doesn't make any sense. Besides...that's pretty sketchy" Lelouch said, shifting as far away as he could get.

"Lelouch please. I promise this isn't a trick" she said.

And then Cornelia did something that nobody, not even Lelouch had ever seen.

She made a dreaded puppy dog face.

Wide eyes, quivering lower lip, and even the hands clasped together.

Lelouch was downright horrified.

"Alright! ALRIGHT!" he shouted "Just stop it! That face burns my eyes."

He took the strip of cloth and tied it around his eyes. He could feel Cornelia prodding around, pulling it in some places just to make sure that he couldn't see.

Satisfied that Lelouch was in fact blind as a bat, she knocked twice the divider that separated the passengers from the driver, signaling the person to drive on.

Lelouch wasn't happy, and he made vocal his disapproval with constant grumbling and muttering, which Cornelia dutifully ignored.

He could feel the car shifting as they went around a corner. In his short stay of being blindfolded, all his other senses were heightened.

_"Vehicle has shifted into fifth gear...probably on a highway now. Wow these seats are really soft...I'll need to find out what material they're made out of so I can have a chair covered in it. And that smell...is Cornelia wearing a hardly noticeable amount of perfume...?"_ the last thought made him gasp a little, but it was quiet enough to go unnoticed by the other person he was sharing the large bench seat with.

But Lelouch was right. The car was indeed on a highway through the center of Pendragon, but heading to the outskirts and would be there in roughly fifteen minutes, and Cornelia was wearing a slight hint of perfume, though she would never admit it.

* * *

><p>Lelouch could feel the car slowing down and stopping, but only for a moment.<p>

It finally came to rest another few minutes later, as the chauffeur got out and opened the door for both of them.

"Can I take this thing off yet?" Lelouch asked, as he started to reach for the knot.

"No!" Cornelia snapped, slapping his hand away. "We may be here, but we're not HERE."

"Whatever" he grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Now don't be like that" she chided, grabbing his exposed wrist and yanking him off towards...something or somewhere.

He heard a door open, hushed voices talking, felt being led somewhere, another door opening, and then walking on hardwood floor as the door behind him slammed shut.

Lelouch audibly gulped, as he felt Cornelia's fingers snake under the fabric of the blindfold and lift it off in one fluid motion, tossing it to the ground.

"Now today" she said, slowly walking around Lelouch, duffel bag in hand "We're going to have a lot of fun."

"Great" he squeaked, unsure of what was going to happen.

If porn had shown him anything, and it had, it was that at this stage, is when some weird shit started happening, like a sink breaking, or both people getting naked and screwing on the table while the sink was still spewing water.

Cornelia slowly unzipped the duffel and started to rout around inside, looking for something.

And by this time, Lelouch was sweating. He had heard of weird fetishes, and was pleading that this wasn't the case, until an "a'ha!" from Cornelia threw him back into reality as she handed him...

A piloting suit...?

(Damn guys, get your minds out of the gutter.)

Anyways, Lelouch was baffled.

"What is this?"

"It's a piloting suit" Cornelia said "For Knightmares. I figured, since you'll be joining the military, you should at least get a crash course. We'll strap you into a simulator and see how you do. If you're good enough, we might even let you spend some time on the training course with a real one."

Lelouch let out a sigh of relief.

"Where can I change?" he asked.

"There are booths behind you" she said, pointing behind him.

He started to walk towards one, before turning and asking "Don't you need a suit?"

She scoffed "My uniform is my suit."

He merely shrugged his shoulders and went to change, cursing his brain for feeding him stupid information.

* * *

><p>Ten minutes later, they were in front of a row of simulators, ready for use.<p>

"Are you ready Lulu?" she asked, using his nickname, which really didn't bother him.

"Ready Nellie" he said, using his nickname for her, and avoiding the playful punch she threw at him, before ducking into the simulator.

The tutorial was easy enough, and the combat simulations were a breeze. Cornelia seemed impressed as he got out, and as she led the way to the control room to check the scores.

"Lelouch, you handle a KMF very well for someone of your age with very little training" she said, opening the door to the control room and walking through.

She sat at one of the chairs and pulled up the scores for L.v.B.

"Well, a combat effectiveness score of 86%" she mused "You might even rival me with training. Lots and lots of training."

"Sooo...what now?" Lelouch asked, shifting his weight to his other foot.

"Now? Now we have fun" Cornelia said, a wicked gleam in her eyes.

* * *

><p>Lelouch didn't think that the cockpit of a Knightmare was so...roomy.<p>

There was actually a fair amount of legroom, and a decent seat.

**"Good. Now pick up the paintball rifle and follow me to the course"** Cornelia said through the radio, leading him towards a row of guns lined up.

Picking one at random, he popped a couple of rounds off at the target downrange and was satisfied with the accuracy, as all the shots hit the bull's-eye mark.

**"Don't get cocky now"** she said, with, what was that? A hint of teasing perhaps?

Lelouch smirked as he followed her into the urban training environment. A male voice sounded over the radio stating...

**"The simulation will begin in 5...4...3...2...1...begin."**

Lelouch dropped the landspinners onto the ground and sped off with Cornelia hot on his heels.

It seemed every which way he turned, there was a target.

**"Try not to use your slash harkens. We need to keep these targets functioning for future practices"** Cornelia told him, as he nailed a couple of mock tanks with five shots from his rifle.

**"Yes dear"** Lelouch said sarcastically over the radio, which got him a grumbled response, which he just laughed off.

Lelouch actually couldn't believe it. Piloting a KMF, even in a non-combat situation, was only a little less enjoyable than a tough game of chess.

_"I see why everyone enjoys piloting these things"_ he thought, taking out another target with his gun.

A spent magazine was ejected and a fresh one automatically slid into place, allowing him to knock out two other tanks after whipping around a corner.

Looking at the progress bar, he was pleased to see that he was ten 'kills' ahead of Cornelia, and there were only seven training targets left.

**"Well Nellie, it looks as though I've got this one in the bag"** he said through the radio, smirking the entire time.

**"I was going easy on you Lulu. First round and all. Best two out of three?"** she asked, jumping over a wall and taking out the target behind it.

**"Bring it"** he replied, pushing his KMF just that much faster to get to the targets quicker.

He could feel the adrenaline pumping through his body. It was exciting, it was dangerous, but most of all, it was fun!

The final score stood at Lelouch:55, Cornelia:45.

Both went back to the starting area, grabbing a new rifle and stocking up on magazines.

**"Now Lelouch, you're going to see what a trained pilot can really do behind the controls of one of these things"** Cornelia said, taking up a launch stance.

**"Well Cornelia, I will admit, I'm having fun"** Lelouch replied, also taking up a stance.

The same voice from before came on and counted down.

**"The simulation will begin in 5...4...3...2...1...begin."**

Cornelia shot out of the gate like a bat out of hell, leaving Lelouch in the dust.

_"She wants to play hardball? I'm game"_ he thought, taking a path to the left and starting to fire at the targets moving around.

Lelouch had a visual on Cornelia while he was inside his KMF due to a drone flying above the battlefield, relaying her position and kill count, which had already passed 10, whereas Lelouch was just passing 3.

She was performing maneuvers that he didn't even attempt in the simulator, but he knew them nonetheless due to reading up on Knightmare tactics.

"She's good" he muttered, quiet enough that the radio wouldn't pick it up "Very good."

The fighting continued, but the final score was Lelouch:40, Cornelia:60.

**"Ready to give up yet?" **Cornelia asked, pulling back up beside Lelouch at the starting line.

**"I thought you knew me better than that dear sister? I never surrender"** Lelouch shot back, prepping to rocket out of the gate.

**"Very well then, I'll just need to beat you one more time"** she said, getting ready to start.

**"Let me guess, you've already got a wager prepared for me?"** he asked.

**"In fact, I do"** she said **"Tomorrow night, Schneizel is holding a ball in your honor. Big secret so that you don't find out, but most people will be there. It's for your return and departure the day after. If I win, you're my date."**

**"W..what?"** Lelouch asked, feeling red creeping up his neck.

**"You heard me. You and I will go together. Why do you think I made you pick out a set of formal wear?"** she said.

Part of Lelouch was a little happy, but he quashed these feelings before something became of them, much like the ones from before. They were foreign to him and unwanted, so they were vanquished.

He knew that Cornelia thought she had the edge with her fancy moves on the field, but now Lelouch knew what the machine could handle, and could couple that with his tactical mind to at least make him equal.

**"Very well then"** he conceded **"But if I win, what do I get?"**

**"You will get the choice of any regiment you want to command when you're finished your military training"** she replied.

_"Bingo! This could help me immensely, and she had no clue that she just helped my plan move forward a step"_ he thought, before calling back **"I accept these terms."**

**"Good"** she replied, before the voice started counting down a final time.

When it said 'begin,' both of them shot out of the gate into the urban map, poised to beat the other.

* * *

><p>"I don't believe it" Lelouch and Cornelia muttered at the same time.<p>

They had just finished the third and final run through of the course, the one in which they had placed bets on who would win.

They looked in shock at the final score marker, which read Lelouch:50, Cornelia:50.

**"So...what do we do now?"** Lelouch asked, a little uncertainty in his voice.

**"I guess the wager is void"** Cornelia replied, and even Lelouch picked up on the tinge of sadness.

**"Well, because we tied, we could both win...?"** he said, asking.

**"That...is feasible" **she said slowly, nodding her head even though he couldn't see it.

**"Then it's settled. We both get what we bet for"** Lelouch said, as she started to move slowly to the shed where the KMF were stored.

Another few minutes later, and they were both riding their cables down to the ground.

Once they were solidly back on the concrete floor, Cornelia threw a pair of coveralls at him.

Lelouch hiked an eyebrow in questioning as she stepped into hers and pulled them up over her uniform.

"We need to perform a visual inspection of all parts, top up oil, and tighten anything that needs tightening" she said, zipping up the suit and grabbing a wrench.

Lelouch cursed inwardly. Not because he didn't know how to do any of it, or because he was too weak to do any of it, but because Cornelia knew that he could do it.

He didn't know why when he did awhile back, but he read plenty of KMF maintenance books, which allowed him to understand how everything worked in sync.

_"I blame myself for being such a damn curious teen"_ he thought, stepping into his coveralls, pulling them up, zipping them, and grabbing a ratchet off the nearby table of tools.

* * *

><p>With a grunt and a thunk, Cornelia locked the final servo in place, wiping the thin sheen of sweat off her brow with a towel on the cart before she placed the protective panel over the side and put the few fasteners in that kept it from falling off in the heat of battle.<p>

Lelouch was finishing as well, placing the armored cover over the oil cap and throwing four empty bottles of high grade oil to the ground.

He hopped off the knee of the kneeling KMF and landed perfectly thanks to the amount of training he did when he still went to school.

Picking up the rag he dropped about ten minutes earlier, he started to clean the grease off his hands and take off his grubby coveralls, which he saw Cornelia doing the same.

She smoothed her uniform and gave a curt nod to herself, signaling that everything was in order as she walked over to Lelouch.

"Well now, wasn't that fun?" Cornelia said, as Lelouch balled up his coveralls and chucked them in the laundry basket that held several other pairs.

"I will admit, I did have a good time doing this" he said, nodding his head. "But if you don't mind, I'd like to get out of this suit and into my regular clothes."

"Understandable" she simply said, leading him out of the hanger and back across the compound to the changing booths he was at before.

Cornelia handed him his clothing out of the duffel bag, and he disappeared inside a booth.

A minute later, he came back out in the outfit he was wearing this morning before they had even left.

"Come on" Cornelia said "We can grab a late lunch at the canteen."

"Lead on" Lelouch replied, sweeping his arm towards the door.

Most of the tables were packed with soldiers. Just because they weren't at war, which was a small surprise to most, didn't mean that the people could slack off on training, or get extended leave. No, they had to stay, and prepare for anything.

Lelouch and Cornelia stood quietly in the serving line, trays in hand, taking their lunch and walking off.

"We'll eat in the officers mess. Should be less crowded than here" she said, leading him off towards a nondescript wooden door on the far side of the room.

Cornelia balanced her tray in one hand and turned the knob in with her other, before striding inside the bright room, with Lelouch following, and kicking the door closed with his foot.

The officers mess, was the exact opposite of the soldiers mess. It was neat, clean (not to say that the other one wasn't...just...less so) and it wasn't nearly as crowded.

The conversations weren't as loud and animated as they were behind the door.

The officers inside looked up from their meals and conversations and offered a curt nod and a "Your highness" before going back to what they were doing.

Cornelia took a seat beside a man not unlike Lelouch. Tall and thin, but looked cold and calculating.

"Lelouch, I'd like you to meet Colonel John Harrison" Cornelia said, gesturing to the man with grey hair beside her, as Lelouch sat down. "I worked with him for a few months in the Southern area of the mainland."

"Pleasure" Lelouch said, firmly shaking the man's hand.

"Any friend of Princess Cornelia is a friend of mine" he said, cheery despite the aura he presented.

Cornelia chuckled at this "John, this isn't just my friend. It's my younger brother."

"Well, so THIS is the Lelouch you told me so much about when we were in Florida" John said, looking between the two.

"All good things I hope" Lelouch said, wryly smiling as he started to eat.

"Sorry, I'm not at liberty to say" John said with a knowing smile, much to the displeasure of Cornelia "Been sworn to secrecy by the princess."

Cornelia had been serving with Colonel Harrison, when he was only a Lieutenant, and she was working with him after she had gotten the news that Lelouch and Nunnally had been killed, but when she was recalled to duty after searching Area 11.

He was the only person she had ever told, sans Euphemia, about how she had felt, and how she was torn up over the death.

John had provided support for her all along, and had helped her move on and get through the tough times and emotional trauma.

"Anyways, John commands the Pendragon Military Base, so that's how I was able to get us in easily" Cornelia said, continuing her explanation.

"Well, I do appreciate this. I've learned a lot in my short while here" Lelouch said, before smiling a little.

"Oh?" John asked, looking up "Like what?"

"Like that all military food doesn't taste like crap" Lelouch deadpanned, before the three of them started laughing.

"Only the stuff in the field tastes like crap" John said after a minute.

"Don't tell him that" Cornelia said, jabbing an elbow in his side in good nature "He's leaving for the academy day after tomorrow."

"Is he now?" the colonel asked, to which he got a nod in return "Well then, you're going to have a rough ride."

"I remember all the stories I've been told by her" Lelouch said, gesturing at Cornelia "I might be in trouble."

"You'll do fine son. I've heard about the strategic mind you possess, so you shouldn't be that out of your element" John said, before getting up.

"It was good to see you again Princess Cornelia, and good to meet you Prince Lelouch, but I need to be off. There's a mountain of paperwork calling my name."

And with that, Colonel Harrison took his tray and walked out of the officers mess.

* * *

><p>They continued eating, mostly with Cornelia telling him what to expect when he was brought into the academy.<p>

"Now remember" she said, as Lelouch finished his lunch "Because you're royalty, they'll do two things. 1: They'll make an example out of you. It'll probably be the officer in charge of you guys, he'll have you do something, or talk about yourself. And 2: They'll want to fawn over you because you're royalty. Don't let them do this. Tell the CO off right at the start that you want no special treatment. They'll think higher of you. Trust me."

Lelouch nodded, and wiped his mouth. He had just taken in literal tons of information and all of it would be very useful in the upcoming stay at the PMA.

They got up and walked through the door to the still bustling enlisted men mess, dropping their trays off with a private on cleaning duty.

Both of them walked out into the sunlight, but noted the clouds moving in from the west. Even though they were in the desert, that didn't mean that they never got rain.

"Storm rolling in. Should hit in about an hour" Lelouch said, pointing towards the gathering clouds.

"Well then, we'd best be on our way" Cornelia said, as they started walking back to the admin building to get the bag.

Once the limo pulled up, she handed the blindfold back to a perturbed Lelouch, who slowly put it back on as they started to drive.

Again, he was plunged into the world of darkness, having to rely on his other senses.

_"I guess this is kinda what it's like for Nunnally"_ he thought, feeling the vehicle pick up speed and go around a gentle corner.

"Well Lulu, did you enjoy your first taste of Knightmare combat?" he heard Cornelia ask.

Lelouch turned in her direction with a smile on his face "Yeah. It was enjoyable. But, with my strategies, I won't really use Knightmares too much. I'll be mostly working with infantry, tanks, and artillery. KMF will be more of a specialized use for me."

"This has to do with the letter to Ashford, doesn't it?" she asked "I knew that the Ashford Foundation used to be the Ashford Knightmare Works, so this is what that letter was! You're funding a secret Knightmare factory."

"Yeah" he said, looking away.

"Don't worry" Cornelia said, waving her hand "Pet projects aren't that big a deal. Schneizel is having one built. Lancelot, I think it'll be called."

"Yes well" Lelouch started "I'm building specialty Knightmares. They'll be good at one thing and one thing only, rather than trying to be okay at multiple things."

"Thanks, but I'll stick with my Gloucester" she said, shifting slightly in the seat.

"Understandable. Besides, the first set aren't even in production yet" Lelouch said, sitting back and relaxing, even though he couldn't see anything.

* * *

><p>A short while later, Cornelia took the blindfold off when they were in the middle of the city, stopped beside one of the many parks in Pendragon.<p>

"Let's go for a walk" she said, to which Lelouch opened the door and stepped out, holding it for her.

Cornelia stepped out of the limo and Lelouch closed the door behind her, as the driver got out, lit a cigarette, and walked to the hood to lean on it.

"So, how does it feel to be thrown back into the lion's den after living in the background for so long?" Cornelia asked as they started to walk down one of the pathways.

"It'll take time to adjust, but as long as Nunnally stays safe in Area 11, it'll all be okay" Lelouch replied, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Alright, but how does it feel to be back here? With your family again" she asked.

"Well, it's nice" he said, looking at the large, grassy hill in the middle of the park. "I haven't seen any of you in seven years, just what I saw on the news, but I've missed a few people, like you, Schneizel, and Euphie."

"Not Odysseus?"

"Pft, no" he snorted "Why would I care about him? We never had anything really in common, and he may be the crown prince, but that doesn't mean a thing."

"I see" was all Cornelia said.

"Hey, are you still friends with Nonette Enneagram?" Lelouch asked.

Nonette was a Knight of the Round. The Knight of Nine to be exact. Cornelia had hung around with her for awhile, but once Lelouch had been sent to Japan, he hadn't heard anything from either of them.

He remembered when she would show up at Aries Villa at the weirdest times, just to bother Cornelia, and she had always played a game of chess, much to the dismay of Lelouch, because she didn't know how to play and wouldn't sit down to learn.

Of course, she had always acted like any other woman (excluding Cornelia) and had referred to him, and quote "The most adorable little thing to ever grace the planet Earth."

She had always managed to leave Lelouch sputtering and blushing furiously as he attempted to formulate a response, and then she always went a step further and kissed his cheek before she left, leaving him in a whole other world of fluster.

At the time, he always brushed it off as how women acted around him, because Euphie and Nunnally acted the same way, and he still brushed it off even remembering it all the years later.

"We talk to each other every now and again" Cornelia said, snapping him back into reality. "Come to think of it, I'll bet she'll try and crash the party tomorrow night."

"If I remember Nonette, and I do, she will" Lelouch said with a grimace.

"Yeah well, that's tomorrow. One day at a time" she said, before hearing a rumble "Storm's getting closer. We should go back to the Villa."

Lelouch nodded and they turned around and walked back down the path towards the limo, where the driver was now just leaning on the hood, his smoke finished awhile ago.

"By the way" Lelouch said, once they started driving again "Where's your knight?"

"Guilford? He's on leave, but he's in the city. Knights need time off too y'know" Cornelia said, watching the rain start to patter against her window. "Why?"

"Oh...well...I just thought he would be the one escorting you to the ball" Lelouch said, absentmindedly.

"No, you're stuck with me" she said.

"I think I can live with that" Lelouch said, leaning back.

* * *

><p>They arrived back at the Villa quickly, with Cornelia not moving out of the limo as Lelouch stepped into the heavy rain.<p>

"You're not coming?" he asked.

"No, I need to still get a few things for myself for the ball tomorrow. You're off the hook for the rest of the day" she said with a wink, before Lelouch slammed the door and walked up the steps to the main doors.

Stepping into the bathroom inside his own room, he chuckled at his appearance.

His obsidian hair was sopping wet, with the clothing he picked out in the morning clinging to his frame, highlighting his skinny but muscular body. Water trickled tails down his face as he peered at his reflection.

Still laughing quietly, he grabbed a towel off the rack and stripped out of his soaked clothes and started to dry himself off.

Now that he was alone, his thoughts and emotions could actually surface.

The truth was that Lelouch had fallen in love. It had happened years ago, and he hadn't even noticed it.

His first love had been Euphemia. Another was Nunnally.

But it wasn't the kind of love he had heard about in movies, or from those sappy romance novels that had populated the library before the death of his mother.

No, this is one he didn't even notice as it was progressing, and when it was ripped from his grasp by being used as a political hostage, it had left an empty hole in his heart.

The hole had plagued him for several years, even after the war and after he had started going to Ashford Academy.

One day, it was brutally and forcibly realized.

* * *

><p><strong>FLASHBACK<strong>

Fourteen year old Lelouch Lamperouge had just returned from an evening out with a few friends. He had a full day of classes at the academy, and a couple of friends had invited him to join them at the arcade, so he did.

After beating Rivalz and Danny at all the strategy games they wanted to play, he retired for the night to his residence on campus, where him and his sister were allowed to stay.

He had flipped the late night news on, as it was a usual habit, but made sure to keep the volume down so he didn't wake Nunnally.

Collapsing onto the couch, he heard a voice that he hadn't heard in four years.

Jerking his head back up and letting his eyes focus on the screen, he saw one of the few people he missed from his old life.

His, now twenty four year old half sister Cornelia li Britannia.

For the first time, he wore the smile that he hadn't worn in four long years that was reserved for her and for her only.

He felt an unusual feeling enter his body, forcing its way in, and making him feel...whole...again.

The empty space had been filled, and he realized that it was love. And like any teenage boy would, he denied it.

He locked that part of his body away from the world, never to show anyone, and prepared to take that to his grave.

And that is probably what would've happened, had he not bumped into Clovis three years later.

**END FLASHBACK**

* * *

><p>Lelouch sighed as he recalled the days, weeks, and months after that realization.<p>

First it had been denial, and then it had been acceptance, and then it had been fully alone.

Several times he came close to revealing that he was alive in secret so he could actually see the few people he missed, but his logic for keeping Nunnally safe overrode all other concerns, even his own for personal happiness.

Stepping out and pulling a new selection of dry clothing from his closet, he paused and fingered the delicate fabric of the formal wear that he would be donning tomorrow night, and a thought struck him.

_"Maybe she would feel the same way about me."_

He dared not to get his hopes up, as rain continued to pour down outside his windows, it seemed as though even God was against this, but for once, he didn't pay any mind.

Pulling up his pants, he allowed his mind once again to wander to what it would be like in a perfect world living with Cornelia.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Another question!

Because so many people have asked about this, I will pose a question to you.

Due to the original pairing of CorneliaxLelouch, some people have wanted an expansion on that to include Euphie or others.

So, would you like this to turn into a harem story? Romance will be playing a thicker part later (remember the MEF war that's coming!) so, what I'm thinking, and this is just me, Lelouch will be with Cornelia, CC, Milly, Nonette and possibly (big maybe here) Euphie after the death of Suzaku, which will come also after the war with the MEF (sorry all you people who want him to die soon). Also, there is the possibility of including Anya after Marianne and Charles have been dealt with.

So that is your question! Harem or no?

If it is a yes, you'll need to bear with me cause I've never written a harem before.

Anyways, I'll catch ya next time chaps!


	6. Ballroom Blitz and Arrival

**A/N: **Holy actual jeebus. You mention on pairing, and nobody bats an eye, you mention a harem and everyone loses their minds. I got 23 reviews for the last chapter. **23!**

You people really want a harem, however, there are still people pulling for the original pairing of LelouchxCornelia. Well, even though the votes are in, you'll need to wait for me to make a decision, but I will be responding to important reviews, not just ones that say "Harem yes please" or anything along those lines.

But we've nearly hit 100 follows which is outstanding, and we've passed 50 faves, which makes me happy. We're also on the cusp of 5,000 views, which is also outstanding considering that I've only got 5, now 6 chapters up. I want to thank all the fans of this story, because I'm writing this for you guys.

I also want to clear this up, and I'll probably be shot for this, but I'm not really a fan of Kallen. I don't really like the stories where it's LelouchxKallen, so I've got plans for her that nobody will probably like. You can guess what they'll be if you want, but it's so in depth, that I doubt you'll be able to get it all 100% of what she's going to do and where it will be done.

Anyways, onto the actual super important responses that I need to make.

Red-Spiral: I'm planning on doing his training in the month segments. This chapter will include just getting there, next chapter will be a month later, and so on until training is done and he gets deployed to a unit.

Biscione: Sorry man, I was also kinda pushing to let Suzaku live, but be wounded, but a death will work just as well in this story. And how Lelouch and Euphie react is already being planned out. Jeremiah has just been touched on in this chapter, but will take on a larger role in the next few.

AbyssFromHell: Thanks. I like to really detail my stories so they can use the same starting lines as another really good one, but add personal flair to it to make it my own. And about Suzaku, I just really don't like him. He's a full out scumbag.

Cerberus Alpha: She could've gone a little easier on Lelouch, or maybe it's because his mother was Marianne the Flash? So many questions and unknowns. And of course I gotta add a little humor in the story. It would be kinda bland without it.

Kaiya Smith: Who indeed will he find to pilot the Rattlers? Another good question that I sadly can't answer without giving out spoilers.

Lordban: Oh my god you just summed up my mindset. Get out of my head man! But is Lelouch becoming an Emperor? Overthrowing Charles? How will he do it? More questions that I can't answer. Stop giving them to me, because I refuse to spoil anything!

agarfinkle: I just had to put that scene in. It was too good not to put in, and it just came from the top of my head.

ReaperAsOfLate: Thanks, and here's another chapter. And to answer your question, as stated above, Will Kallen be in this story? Yes. Will she be in the harem if there is one? Oh hell no.

Anyways, this is chapter 6, and I hope you enjoy. I'm honestly surprised that I pushed this out as quickly as I did and made it as long as I did.

* * *

><p>"Oh isn't it just so exciting?" Euphemia said, bouncing up and down on the backseat of the armored limo that was taking them towards the Imperial Ballroom.<p>

Yes, tonight was the night of the ball welcoming Lelouch back to Britannia, and it was also his send off for the PMA which would be the very next day.

"I guess it is Euphie" Lelouch said.

They had picked up the energetic little bundle at the li Britannia villa, after they left Aries Villa, and they were on their way.

Lelouch happened to be wearing a black, three piece suit with a white shirt, a purple tie and a violet cape with black shoes.

Euphemia was obviously in a light pink dress that was nearly identical to her hair color, and the dress nearly dragged on the floor because it was so long, and a pair of pink flats.

Cornelia had tied her hair back in some style, and was wearing a beige dress, black gloves, and black heels. (Think Ohgi's wedding)

Anyways, they were off to the ballroom, with a giddy Euphemia, a relaxed Cornelia, and a tense Lelouch.

He hadn't been able to get his hands on a copy of the guest list so he had no idea who was going other than the three people in the limo, and the arranger of the party. Schneizel.

Euphemia continued to babble on and on about how glad she was that Lelouch was back, how exciting this party would be, and how proud she was of him joining the PMA.

Lelouch sat there drumming his fingers on his knee, even as they pulled up in front of the grandiose building.

"Come on! Let's get inside" Euphemia squealed as she bounded out of the limo and up the steps.

"I really have no idea how she can do that" Lelouch said, stepping out of the vehicle and offering his hand to Cornelia.

"She's young, she's energetic" Cornelia shrugged "That's all it comes down to."

"You're saying I'm old?" Lelouch asked, with mock anger.

"No not at all" Cornelia said, embarrassed "She's just younger than you are."

Lelouch simply nodded, and offered his arm, which Cornelia took.

"I didn't think you'd remember all the particulars of a ball, you've been out of practice for awhile" she said, as they calmly walked up the steps.

"Only seven years. Besides, this was drilled into my head. Not like I'll forget it anytime soon" Lelouch said as they walked into the open doors.

It was a warm night, like most were, so the doors and windows of the building were left open to allow air to freely flow through.

"Lelouch, Cornelia, so glad you could make it" Schneizel said, with his soft smile, pumping Lelouch's hand.

"Yes well, how could I not?" Lelouch said, putting on a fake smile.

"Quite right. Now go ahead, mingle. I'll be around if you need me" Schneizel said, before turning to greet the next person(s) behind them.

"I hate these big social functions. They're always so boring" he grumbled when they were out of earshot.

"It's in your honor. There's no way you couldn't attend" Cornelia said, as they walked down a hallway towards the main room where the party was being held.

"Maybe if I had two broken legs, I'd get out of it" he mumbled, to which Cornelia said "What was that?"

"Nothing, nothing at all" he said, as they entered the ballroom.

Thankfully, it wasn't as packed as Lelouch had thought it would be. He estimated that there were roughly one hundred and fifty people there, and the first one to come up to him was a tall person with blond hair.

"Hey there, your highnesses" he said "Gino Weinberg, newly appointed Knight of Three, at your service."

"Pleasure. Lelouch vi Britannia, eleventh prince of the Britannian Empire. Newly returned from Area 11. I trust you know Princess Cornelia li Britannia" Lelouch said, taking the hand offered to him and giving it a firm shake.

"Also, this is my friend. Anya Alstreim" Gino said, gesturing to the short girl with pink hair in a red dress behind him that neither Cornelia or Lelouch noticed "She's adept at piloting a KMF and rumors are going around about her being made a Knight of the Round soon."

"Pleasure to meet you Anya" Lelouch said, nodding at the shorter girl.

"Charmed" she said in a surprisingly monotone voice, taking out a camera phone and taking a picture of Lelouch. "For my blog" was all she said when asked about it before walking off.

"Sorry about her" Gino said with a laugh, rubbing his neck. "But I'll be off."

"Enjoy your evening Sir Weinberg" Lelouch said with a nod.

"Please, call me Gino" and with that, he was off, disappearing back into the crowd.

"Well...that was easy" Lelouch said, as they walked to a table and sat down.

One of the many waiters dropped off two flutes of champagne in front of them and disappeared to presumably serve another person.

"I can't drink this. I'm underage" Lelouch said, gesturing to the alcohol.

Cornelia laughed at this "Lelouch, come on. Do you think anyone here cares that a royal is drinking even if they're underage? No. You're free to drink, just don't overdo it. I'm not scraping you up off the floor."

"No, you can save that honor for me" a melodic voice said, as two arms snaked around Lelouch's chest.

"Ah, I'd know that voice anywhere. It could only belong to Nonette Enneagram" Lelouch said, sipping his drink and frowning at the taste.

"You're right with that Lelouch" the woman in question said, releasing him, and taking a seat on Lelouch's lap. "Nonette Enneagram, Knight of Nine, checking in with the prince."

"Noted" Lelouch said, attempting, and failing, to keep the blush off his face. "Up for that chess lesson any time soon?"

A laugh was the answer he got, to which he said "I'll take that as a no" he said with a chuckle.

Back at Aries Villa, when Nonette came over, it was always the same day plan. Annoy Cornelia, play chess very poorly, annoy Cornelia some more, have dinner, and then she would go.

"We heard you were dead Lelouch. What happened?" she asked.

"Well, if you'd like to pull up a chair, I'll tell you" Lelouch replied, gesturing to the six unoccupied chairs.

"Come on, what's wrong with this seat?" she said, wiggling her butt on his lap.

This put Lelouch back in that whole other world of fluster that he thought about earlier.

With a grumpy "Fine" from Nonette, she got up and went over to the chair on his left, because Cornelia occupied the one on his right.

"So, you two will be the first to hear this, other than a friend in Area 11. I was planning on telling Cornelia tonight, but I know I can trust you Nonette. You remind me of someone I knew when I was a student."

"Anyways, as you both know, Nunnally and I were shipped to Japan as political hostages. We were taken in by the Kururugi family, and then a few months later, the Emperor decided to invade Japan, where he knew two of his kids were."

"So, we had already prepared for this. Nunnally had a wheelchair at the ready, my friend, and the prime minister's son, Suzaku, had food loaded on a sled and we were prepared for the eventuality that Britannia would invade."

"When we heard the roar of bombers far away, we knew, and we left the shrine. We already had an escape route planned, but it was muddled when another group of people who also guessed about the invasion attempted to attack us."

"We left our food and the wheelchair and ran, with me carrying Nunnally. It wasn't good" Lelouch said, pausing for what was coming next. "We had a weapon. A pistol that we took from the house. I had it in my pocket but was ready to use it. One of the would-be thieves tried to take us as hostage or as slaves. I pulled out the gun...and...I shot him."

Lelouch paused again, closing his eyes, remembering. The sound of the gun, the smell of the smoke from the bullet, and the horrid gurgling sound that the man emitted as his life ebbed away.

"God. Still clear as ever in my mind. But anyways, we kept walking for days. We passed through fields of dead bodies, all of them rotting under the hot sun. Some were shot, others were missing limbs...and others were just...I don't know. Dammit, I told Nunnally that the smell was a garbage dump or a swamp or something, I just couldn't bear to see her reaction."

"Finally, we found a Britannian aid station that took us in. Nunnally and I changed our last names to Lamperouge, and the Ashford's took us in, where we've been for seven years."

Lelouch dropped his head into his hands, slightly trembling. He had always been good at hiding emotions, but when that memory was resurfaced, usually when he was alone, it broke down every wall he had in place.

_"What a fucked up world that was"_ he thought.

Cornelia and Nonette hadn't said anything throughout the entire story, and were now sitting in mute shock.

He felt a hand from each of them clasp the shoulder closest to them. Nonette on the left, and Cornelia on the right. Their grip wasn't hard and firm, it was more comforting.

Nonette spoke first in a tone he had never heard her use before. It was the tone of caring.

"Lelouch, what happened wasn't your fault. It is a shame that it happened so early in your young life, but you were protecting those who you cared about at the time, and there is nothing wrong with that."

He felt a reassuring squeeze from her, before she changed her tone back to her carefree ways.

"Now come on, you're seven years overdue on a dance you promised me."

"Wait Nonette, I don't actually dance that-" Lelouch said, before his protest was cut off by Nonette yanking him up and dragging him off towards the dance floor in the center of the room.

* * *

><p>Cornelia felt something stir of some emotion that wasn't know to her when she saw Nonette take Lelouch's hand and pull him towards the floor where they were lost in the crowd.<p>

Whatever the feeling was, she certainly wasn't fond of it, feeling like something was stewing inside her.

The thoughts were vanquished when someone came up and asked her "Sitting alone Cornelia? Why aren't Lelouch and Euphie with you?"

"Euphie is somewhere in the room, and Lelouch has been dragged away by Nonette to dance. What concern is it of yours Schneizel?"

The blond prince laughed lightly "None Cornelia, I just needed to talk to our dear brother regarding his future. But now that I'm over here, would you care to dance?"

* * *

><p>Nonette had finally found a less crowded area of the floor and abruptly stopped and spun around. In a fluid movement, she placed Lelouch's hands on her hips, and hers were grasping his shoulders.<p>

"Now what was that about dancing?" she asked, as yet another slow piece was struck up by the orchestra.

"I was just going to say that I don't dance that often anymore" Lelouch replied, as they started to sway to the music.

"I wouldn't have expected you to considering that you were just a student in Area 11" she replied, as Lelouch spun her.

"So, is that really what you need to wear for a uniform now?" Lelouch asked, changing the subject.

"What's wrong with this?" she defended.

Nonette was wearing her Knights of the Round uniform, which consisted of white pants, a white tunic with gold embroidered on the left arm, black riding boots reaching her knees, black gloves, and a purple cape. Underneath the tunic she had a black shirt with more gold inlay.

"Nothing!" he said, still dancing "It's just something I've never seen before. Y'know, civilians don't get to see the Knights of the Round too often."

* * *

><p>"Thank you, but no" Cornelia said, as Schneizel started to lean on the chair Lelouch had occupied.<p>

He merely nodded, before regarding the dance floor and allowing a sly smile to cross his face.

"My oh my, what are Lelouch and Nonette about to get up to?" he said, knowing it would at least allow him a quick reaction.

And it did get a quick reaction. Cornelia's head swiveled to the dance floor instantly, watching Nonette lead Lelouch, _her_ Lelouch away, with her arm wrapped around his shoulders.

_"My Lelouch? Where the hell did that come from?"_ she asked herself, but cleared her mind.

"I'll be going then. Do tell Lelouch that when he has a minute, I'd like to speak with him" Schneizel said, with a wave of his hand as he started to walk away.

As soon as he was out of sight, Cornelia got up and started walking towards the hallway that Lelouch and Nonette had disappeared down, intent on following them.

She saw a door close halfway down the hallway, and went to investigate.

Creeping slowly and quietly along, with the sounds of the party getting ever fainter behind her, she reached the door.

Listing through to the other side, she heard laughing. Unmistakable laughing from both Lelouch and Nonette.

Taking a deep breath, she opened the door.

Even though she attempted to mentally prepare herself for what was behind the door, all that prep work went right out the window.

* * *

><p>Lelouch was seated in a high back armchair, with a cigar (I know right?) while Nonette was on the other side of the room, beside a liquor cabinet, drink in hand.<p>

Both were laughing at something that was said just a moment before Cornelia had entered the room.

The moment the door closed, they both regarded her with bemused expressions.

"Let me guess" Lelouch said, taking the cigar out of his mouth and resting it on the ashtray "Schneizel posed an open question regarded Nonette and I, and you just _had _to investigate?"

Cornelia simply nodded and asked "Since when did you smoke?"

Lelouch grinned sheepishly "Bad habit I picked up from gambling with nobles. That's usually the only time I do it. It seems like they have a policy to award the winner with a cigar, so I smoke the one that I was given by the noble before during the match."

"But anyways" he said, putting it out, and putting it back into his interior jacket pocket. "If you'll excuse me Nonette, I have someone to accompany for the rest of the night. You have my e-mail, so don't hesitate to contact me even when I'm in training. Until we meet again Lady Enneagram."

Lelouch waved to her and walked to the door that Cornelia was standing in front of still.

* * *

><p>Putting on the smile that he hadn't worn since he first saw her on the news when he was living in Area 11, the smile that was specifically for her, Lelouch offered his arm, which she took as they walked out of the room, leaving a smirking Nonette with her drink.<p>

"I've been a terrible date so far, but let's forget about that, and let's dance" Lelouch said as they walked into the ballroom.

"My, have you put on a different personality? Or did Nonette trip a switch? Suave, romantic, and not at all flustered" Cornelia chided as they reached the center of the room and started to waltz.

"Of course not" Lelouch said "Once we're through here, I'll be back to my usual, easy to fluster self."

Of course, Lelouch was incredibly respectful where he placed his hand, with it just hovering above Cornelia's dress, hardly making contact.

A flash of irritation crossed her face, but it was wiped away a second later, as Cornelia adjusted her grip on Lelouch's shoulder and "accidentally" pulled him towards her.

Luckily, Lelouch managed to keep his balance. However, his reaction was to grab the closest object to help support him, and in this case, it was Cornelia.

"That's much better" she said, grinning at his slight embarrassment.

"If-if you say so Cornelia" Lelouch stammered. "By the way, I'm not sure if I mentioned this earlier, but you look sensational tonight."

* * *

><p>It was around 10pm when Lelouch was finally allowed out of the dancing grasp of Cornelia, Euphie, and Nonette, to attend to whatever Schneizel had wanted.<p>

He found his brother out front of the doors, leaning on the stone railing.

"Brother, Cornelia said you wanted to speak with me?" Lelouch said, before pausing and saying "You don't mind if I smoke, do you?"

"By all means, go ahead" Schneizel replied "Never pegged you to smoke though."

"Yes well" Lelouch said, taking the half finished cigar out of his interior pocket and lighting it with a silver plated lighter. "When a noble insists that you take a cigar after you beat him, and he calls his guards out if you don't, you need to acquire a taste."

"I usually only do it during chess matches with the nobles, but this one has been burning a hole in my pocket since Area 11 and I wanted to get rid of it" he finished, exhaling a puff of smoke.

"Lelouch, I just wanted to let you know, that if you ever need any help..." Schneizel said, trailing off.

"I'll know just who to ask" Lelouch finished.

"You know where I stand on my bid for the throne. I could use someone like you" Schneizel said, holding out a hand.

"Become a pawn once again? I have no interest in that" Lelouch said, aware of the fine line that he was walking.

"A pawn? Heavens no! Lelouch, you are just as much a king as I am, and when the time comes, I'll need partners, not followers. I'll need people who can work just as well as I when I am unavailable."

"Partners?" Lelouch asked, not actually believing what he was hearing.

"Yes partners" Schneizel affirmed "Help me get the throne, and I shall give you anything you wish."

Lelouch had a lot of skepticism, but, he needed allies in the future. He knew hard tasks would be coming his way in the military, and he would need someone to pull strings at critical times, and nobody was able to do that better than the Prime Minister.

"Deal" Lelouch said, shaking the outstretched hand "We shall be partners."

"Well then, now that that's settled, you best get inside and finish your dances before your dates come looking for you" Schneizel replied as Lelouch finished his cigar.

Lelouch launched into a coughing fit as Schneizel laughed lightly and went back inside.

"Damn smartass" Lelouch muttered, cramming his hands in his pockets and walking back inside.

* * *

><p>Just as he walked into the ballroom, he heard the conductor exclaim "Last dance of the night. Please find a partner."<p>

It seemed as though time had stopped as everyone started looking around and at least thirty pairs of eyes zeroed in on Lelouch.

All the women looked ready to pounce, until Cornelia glided in front of him, barring the view.

Immediately he picked up, and said "May I have this dance Princess Cornelia?"

"Why, yes, you may Prince Lelouch" she said, taking his offered hand and following him to the dance floor.

By now, soft music had started to flow from the band as Lelouch rested his hands on her hips and she rested hers around the nape of his neck.

Both of them were slowly swaying to the beat, dancing in a small circular pattern, looking into each others eyes.

"Do you really need to leave for the PMA tomorrow?" Cornelia asked.

"You know I do" Lelouch replied. "I need to become useful to the empire if I'm to stay."

"I know" she sighed. "Although, you better e-mail me at least a few times while you're there, and I'll need to know what division you want to be placed in."

"I'll let you know when I know" Lelouch said, a soft smile appearing on his face.

* * *

><p>Cornelia unconsciously licked her lips as Lelouch glanced at them, also licking his own as Cornelia's eyes twitched towards them.<p>

Slowly, their heads started to move towards one another, both of them acutely aware that they had their bodies pressed against one another.

Lelouch moved his hands to the small of her back as if to draw her in faster.

Their lips were inches from touching, Cornelia had closed her eyes, while Lelouch opted to leave his open.

"WOW! That party was fantastic!" a loud and cheery voice exclaimed.

At once, the moment was broken. Cornelia opened her eyes, and started to blush, as did Lelouch as they moved further away to consult the interruption which had come from behind Cornelia.

Euphemia was standing there, a wide grin on her face, totally unaware of what had been happening just seconds prior to her interference.

Forced to put on a smile, to hide the extreme displeasure, Lelouch regarded Euphemia and said "Yes, it certainly was. I'll need to thank Schneizel for it."

Cornelia nodded, still flustered about what was about to happen before Euphie had stumbled in.

Lelouch offered his arm, and Cornelia took it once again, and the three of them walked out, not before Schneizel stopped them to wish Lelouch good luck.

* * *

><p>They arrived at Aries Villa after dropping Euphemia off at the li Britannia Villa (That's the best name I got).<p>

"Are you sure you want to stay the night? I mean, I can get myself to the train station tomorrow" Lelouch said, closing the door to the limo and clasping his hands behind his back.

"Nonsense" Cornelia replied, waving her hand dismissively. "You're going into the military, and you're my brother. The least I can do is see you off at the railway station."

Even though the school was considered the Pendragon Military Academy, it was actually nowhere near the city. It was only called that because that was where all royalty went for their military training, and Pendragon was the closest major hub.

The only way out to the base was by train, which ensured that recruits wouldn't sneak off in the middle of the night to go anywhere.

"Very well then" Lelouch said, opening the front door and closing it after Cornelia had entered.

They continued to walk side by side towards the sleeping chambers.

"Well" Lelouch said, when they reached Cornelia's room "I had a wonderful time tonight. I want to thank you for allowing me to accompany you."

"And I would like to thank you for all the dances we had" Cornelia replied, as Lelouch started to shift his weight from foot to foot, unsure of what would happen next.

"Well, goodnight. I'll see you in the morning" he said quickly, walking the short ways down the hall to his room and going inside.

Once the door was closed he rested his back against it and said "Idiot."

* * *

><p>The harsh and foreign ringing of some satanic device roused Lelouch from a fitful sleep.<p>

"Damn alarms" he mumbled, shutting the infernal device off and throwing the covers off his body.

Today was the day. It was the day where he would be shipped to the PMA to begin his three month long course to become an officer in the Britannian Military.

Even though he should've been, Lelouch wasn't all that tense.

Throughout his shower, and packing his few items and clothes in a carry-on bag for the train, namely his laptop and cell phone, he was actually very relaxed

Breakfast was a relatively subdued affair, and then it was time to depart for the railway station.

Lelouch left the Villa with Cornelia at his side for one last time.

* * *

><p>Seated in the limo, the ride to the station was rather quiet, probably due to what had nearly transpired last night, had Euphemia not intervened.<p>

Before anyone could blink, they were standing on Railway Platform 6 waiting for the express to pull in.

It was routed through Pendragon, and would stop at the PMA before continuing north-west to the final destination of Las Vegas.

The railway platform was bustling with people, all waiting for the same thing to happen, although, Lelouch was getting his own compartment, with Wi-Fi, it would still be an hour long trip by train at high speeds.

The dull sound of heavy diesel engines began to rumble in from the south, signaling that the train would arrive in a few minutes.

Cornelia stood beside Lelouch with her hands clasped in front of her, before smoothing her uniform down.

"Well, I'm leaving for the academy, and you're leaving back to your command" Lelouch said, looking down the railway tracks for the train.

"Darlton can only look after things for so long, before I'm needed back" she replied.

The train trundled in slowly and stopped beside the platform.

"This is my stop" Lelouch said, picking up his bag and looking at Cornelia.

His half sister opened her arms wide and brought Lelouch in for a hug.

They stayed in the embrace for a moment, both content with the world as it was then, before the conductor tapped Lelouch on the shoulder.

"Your highness, we're just waiting on you."

"Very well" Lelouch sighed, exiting the hug with an invisible frown.

He walked to the first coach, but stopped right before boarding to wave at Cornelia who was also wearing a soft smile, waved back.

Lelouch walked down the corridor and slid the door back to his personal compartment. Two harsh blasts of the horn signaled imminent departure, and Lelouch looked out the window, and saw Cornelia watching the train begin to slowly roll out of the station.

When she disappeared from his view range due to the carriage passing the end of the platform, he pulled his laptop out of his bag and set to work.

* * *

><p><em>To: Jeremiah Gottwald (Jeremiah_Gottwald .mil)<em>

_From: Lelouch Lamperouge (ChessWiz.a11)_

_Re: Current Situation_

_Gottwald, today is the day I'm going to the Pendragon Military Academy. I'm writing you from the train that is bringing me there._

_Your current orders are to continue your regularly assigned military duties, but check in with Mr. Ashford once a week to update me on production and if there are any problems._

_I trust that you have at least introduced yourself to Princess Nunnally and Milly Ashford like I instructed you to, so they will at least know that you are a friend rather than a foe._

_However, you may not like this part. Soon enough, I will need you to leave the Purist Faction, with your most trusted subordinate. The two of you will be piloting two of my new toys._

_Here's the part you __**really**__ won't like though. I'll need two other pilots. Not Purist pilots like Kewell or anyone like that. I need Honorary Britannian pilots so that nobody throws a hissy fit in Clovis' command for taking three pilots._

_They'll need to be volunteers, and they'll need to be evaluated. Anyone below 85% will not make the cut. Take the three best pilots, and train them up. _

_You will need to begin working on this soon. Preferably tomorrow. Once my training is complete, I'll transfer you into the unit that I'm with._

_Good luck Jeremiah,_

_-Lelouch._

* * *

><p><em>To: Milly Ashford (Prez4lyfe.a11)<em>

_From: Lelouch Lamperouge (ChessWiz.a11)_

_Re: Current Situation_

_Milly! How I've actually missed your teasing, not much, but some. _

_I'm writing this to inform you that I'm currently bound for the Pendragon Military Academy (literally, I'm on the train right now)._

_If you could, please keep me updated on the situation around Ashford, especially about Nunnally._

_I trust that a military man known as Jeremiah Gottwald has introduced himself to you, and has told you about my predicament within the empire. _

_Anyways, if you ever want to talk with me, shoot me off an e-mail and if I'm not busy with training I'll get on it. I'd rather you not call me, due to the heavy time difference, and the fact that I'll probably be dead tired at the end of a training day and just want to pass out._

_All the best,_

_-Lelouch._

* * *

><p>Satisfied with his two e-mails, Lelouch settled into his seat and allowed the rhythmic clicking of the wheels on the rails to lull him to sleep.<p>

_"God this railway is rough. We only hit the patch ten seconds ago, and the car is still shaking. Why is that?"_ Lelouch thought, before cracking open an eye.

"Welcome back your highness" the conductor said "You fell asleep for awhile there. I'm just here to tell you that we'll be stopping at the PMA in a moment."

Lelouch looked out the window and saw the training grounds, mostly sand, but with urban environments mixed in. There were also fields of luscious green grass, small hills, and a few rivers.

"This is going to be fun" Lelouch said, a wicked smile growing on his face as the train jolted to a stop beside the platform.

Stepping off along with at least fifteen other recruits Lelouch spotted a corporal coming towards him.

"Your highness, Colonel Hunt would like to speak with you. If you'll just follow me."

Lelouch followed the stout man inside a building, where there was a solitary wooden door, a receptionist behind her desk, and two chairs.

"Take a seat, and the Colonel will be right with you."

Lelouch plopped down in one of the chairs, still trying to wake up from his morning nap, until the receptionist said "He'll see you now, your highness."

Lelouch nodded in thanks as he walked past the desk and opened the door.

The office was surprisingly sparse. A certificate here, a picture there, but no medals, no weapons, and no humor.

"Your highness, I'm Colonel Mark Hunt, CO of the Pendragon Military Academy."

Lelouch quickly appraised the man. Tall, lean, black hair, brown eyes, military uniform. Yep, it all checked out.

"Colonel, I'd appreciate it if you just addressed me by vi Britannia or Officer Cadet vi Britannia. I want my status to mean nothing here" he said, swiping his arm across diagonally. "I also want to be treated equally to the other officer cadets here, with no special anything."

"Very well then, your high...er...vi Britannia" Hunt said.

"Now then, why have I been called in sir?" Lelouch asked.

"We were going to tell you about the particulars we had laid out for you, but that won't be needed anymore, and I was looking over your file" Hunt said, grabbing a manila folder "It seems as though Princess Cornelia and Prince Schneizel are vouching for your strategic abilities. They say you have a mind that could possibly rival Einstein, and I wanted to make sure that was true."

"Colonel, if you want to see my mind in action, you'll need to wait for the first squad maneuvers. I can't really showcase anything without troops" Lelouch replied.

"True, but we do have simulators" Hunt argued.

Lelouch hiked an eyebrow. "Very well then Colonel, lead on, and I'll show you what I'm made of."

* * *

><p>Colonel Hunt was impressed to say the least after Lelouch had completed three of the scenarios in a training simulator, but went to his assigned room to change into the uniform he was given and put his few civilian items away.<p>

The rooms were actually quite nice. Two people to a room, they each had a loft bed overtop of a desk with many cubbies to store books or writing utensils, there was a small sink with a mirror for shaving or brushing your teeth, each person had two large closets for hanging up uniforms or other clothes, and there was also a large wooden locker for each of them to store valuables.

Lelouch was putting his laptop and cell phone in the box when the door was opened.

"Hi, I'm Marcus Phillips. I'm in this room too" the person said.

Lelouch gauged his age at around 19, he was short, but not stocky. He was actually really bulky, dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. He had green eyes and sandy brown hair.

"Lelouch vi Britannia. I guess we're bunking together."

As soon as Marcus heard vi Britannia, his eyes got wide and he started to sweat.

"Oh man, I just addressed a prince so informally! I request forgiveness your highness!"

Lelouch frowned "Relax Phillips. Here, I'm just an officer cadet like you are. My status means nothing, and you can knock off all the 'highness' crap. Just call me vi Britannia or something like that."

With a "Phew!" Marcus pulled his rolling suitcase into the room and started to unpack his belongings into the closet.

"So Phillips, where are you from?" Lelouch asked, pulling out his new uniform trousers.

"Denver. You?"

"I'm not sure" Lelouch said, doing up his fly and buttoning his slacks.

The uniform consisted of dark green pants, a lighter green shirt with a white undershirt, a black belt, black boots, and a black beret.

"You're not sure where you're from? C'mon Vi, you can do better than that" Marcus said, still putting his stuff away.

_"Vi? I kinda like it"_ Lelouch thought, before saying "I lived in Area 11 for seven years. I just got back to Pendragon a few days ago and now I'm here."

"Yeah well, I flew into Pendragon from Denver and damn near missed the express to get here" Marcus grunted.

"Make yourself at home Phillips, we don't have training until tomorrow, so go to supply and get a few uniforms. Then meet me in the chow hall. We can get to know a few more people over lunch" Lelouch said, patting his roommate on the back and walking out the door.

"I think I'm gonna like it here" Lelouch said to himself, fixing his beret and walking down the hallway to the stairwell.


	7. Military Training

**A/N:** Ugggghhh long week. Tired, very tired. But, awake enough to complete another chapter to this story!

Also, cheers to all those who play Mass Effect! Happy N7 Day! Yeah, I'm a dork, I know that, AND I'M PROUD!

So...there isn't really a whole lot to say in this A/N...so I'll get right onto the responses. BUT WAIT! I've passed 100 followers and over 6,000 views!

But, onto the responses...

Lordban: I will hunt you down if you ask any more spoiler inducing questions! Not really though, but...whatever.

agarfinkel: 1-Don't you just hate it when that happens? 2-Ashford is in this chapter, so you should be happy.

Lord of Carrion: *Mao clap* Very good summary! And Charles should be trembling by now, not really though.

Biscione: That's why V.V. will never find out the nickname! Until he dies, which will happen. And I think I'll make some appearances of Anya in the story, I'm not sure yet. OH! And there is plenty of Orange in this chapter...cause LOYALTY!

arkzero: Clovis found Lelouch before he ever got his Geass, so before the story ever started. So, Suzaku will be hanging with Lelouch soon, so he'll meet Euphie soon.

So...that's about all I have to say...but...I do have a new story I'm working on called 'Business as Usual' and because it's me, that's another LelouchxCornelia pairing, but they aren't related and it's an AU, so swing by if you want to take a look.

Remember, read, review, favorite, follow, or do whatever you do. ENJOY!

* * *

><p>Jeremiah Gottwald was angry. He was a noble for god sakes, and former head of the Purist Faction, until he transferred command to Kewell Soresi, like Lelouch ordered.<p>

He had left the faction with Major Villetta Nu in tow, but that wasn't why he was angry.

No, he was angry because he was standing in front of a bunch of Honorary Britannian's to find suitable Knightmare pilots.

It was downright humiliating.

Clearing his throat, he stood at the podium with Villetta at his side, and began.

"Attention all Honorary Britannian's, by order of his highness, Prince Lelouch, volunteers are needed who would be adept at piloting a Knightmare."

"If you volunteer your skills will be tested in a simulator and you will be evaluated. Only the three top scorers will be allowed to go to the next step of this assignment."

"Now, do we have any volunteers?" Gottwald asked.

Hardly a second later, a young man said, with much conviction "Private Suzaku Kururugi volunteers sir!"

Ten others came forward to try out to attempt to be put onto whatever special assignment was going to happen.

Jeremiah grumbled to himself. The more volunteers that there were, the longer he'd be stuck with these...Elevens.

"My lord, is something wrong?" Villetta asked.

"No, nothing wrong" Jeremiah said, before sighing "Come on, let's get these volunteers into the simulators."

* * *

><p>"Come on guys, this budget won't balance itself" Milly said, pacing behind the new Vice President.<p>

Kallen Stadtfeld had taken over the position and been inducted a week after Lelouch had left for the homeland.

"You know, it would be a lot easier to balance the budget if you didn't keep running events and increasing some clubs budget tenfold" Kallen said quietly.

What most people didn't know, is behind the sick, frail schoolgirl facade, was the heart of a half blood.

Kallen was half Japanese, and nobody knew that at the school except for Milly.

However, what nobody at the school knew was that she was also a terrorist set out to free Japan from its Britannian oppressors.

"We need to increase the budgets for those clubs to follow through with the promises that I make, and Milly Ashford keeps her promises" she said, leaning over the table beside Kallen and giving her a generous view of her cleavage.

"Any news from Lulu?" Shirley asked, breaking Milly out of her predatory state.

"Yes actually" Milly said, taking a seat at the head of the table. Everyone, except Kallen, leaned in to hear how their friend was doing and what he was up to. Even Nina moved a little bit from her computer.

"Lelouch is at the Pendragon Military Academy training to become an officer, that much you know. It seems as though he's made some really good friends. Anyways, I should be getting another e-mail soon from him, because the last one came about...a week ago" she said, looking at the calendar on the wall.

"Anyways, he's been in contact with family and friends in the way of e-mail to us over here, and phone calls to those over in the homeland. They mostly had them working on their drill, and strategies in simulators last month. Come to think of it, I think today is the first day they did squad based combat with one person leading a group. He told me that there were a few secrets about the armor and weapons they use" she saw Shirley gulp when she mention weapons "but the weapons aren't lethal."

"Well, good for Lelouch then. He's really making us proud" Rivalz said "I wonder if he'll come to visit us."

"Of course he will" Milly said "Unless something comes up, he'll be here after his graduation ceremony."

The opening of a door and the electronic whir of a wheelchair signaled a new occupant.

"Milly? What are you talking about?" Nunnally asked.

"Oh, we're just talking about how Lelouch is doing" she said.

After about a week, the heat had died down surrounding Nunnally, and she was allowed to return to normal classes.

There was still the odd person that came up to her and wouldn't stop asking her about being a princess and all that bull, but after a visit from Sayoko, they seemed to lose interest.

"Have you heard any new news about brother?" she asked hopefully.

"Sorry Nunnally, but he hasn't told me anything you don't already know yourself. I should be getting an e-mail today though" Milly said.

Milly was the person Nunnally came to talk to whenever Lelouch left her an e-mail. She would have Sayoko read it to her, and then she would tell Milly all about his exploits, and then Milly would get an e-mail a few days later that had the general ideas of what he used in Nunnally's, but with some new stuff that would have happened over the past few days, and Milly would tell her all about it.

"Oh" was all she said.

"Hey, I'm sure he'll send one after his training today, and then I'll tell you all about it" Milly replied, attempting to cheer her up, and it worked. But a quick tone broke their silence. "Well look, that's my e-mail tone! He's probably sent one, but had scheduled it to send later, that's just like him. Nunnally, I'll tell you all about it after school is done."

A wide smile broke out on Nunnally's face, as she said "Thank you Milly", and wheeled out of the room.

Kallen glanced up from the sheet to watch the girl leave. She was a princess of Britannia, but after hearing the story of what she had been through, because she shared it with all the members of the council after Lelouch had left, she couldn't bring herself to perform an assassination on her.

Kallen let out a silent sigh and turned back to the budget.

* * *

><p>"My lord, we have the results from the training simulators" a technician said.<p>

"The results?" Jeremiah asked.

"Suzaku Kururugi, efficiency of 97%. Franz Kessler, efficiency of 95%. Teito Masuki, efficiency of 94%."

"Franz Kessler? That's not an Eleven name" Villetta said.

"No, he's German, but he ran from the EU, and came to Area 11 before the occupation. We've back checked him already. He hasn't been in the EU for nine years, so we've been assured that they have no contact" Jeremiah said. "Bring our three newest recruits to me in the meeting room."

Jeremiah and Villetta were sitting across from their three newest members of Lelouch's project.

"Now then, do you know what this is about?" Jeremiah asked, to which they shook their heads. " His highness, Prince Lelouch is working on a very special Knightmare squad for when he has finished training at the Pendragon Military Academy. He's instructed me to find the three top pilots out of Honorary Britannian's, and that happens to be you three."

"But, my lord-" Suzaku said, before he was interrupted.

"Private Kururugi, these orders come straight from the top. I cannot change them" Jeremiah said, before leaning back "Do you accept this job opportunity? Become Knightmare pilots for the personal instruction of the eleventh prince?"

Suzaku, Teito, and Franz looked at each other, before turning back to the officers and saying "Yes, my lord."

"Excellent. Then let's meet your new tools then" Jeremiah said, getting up, forcing the three privates to also rise and follow him out of the room with Villetta at the back.

* * *

><p>"Ashford Academy? Why are we at a school?" Suzaku asked Franz, who just shrugged.<p>

They were led through the grounds, and brought to an elevator inside a warehouse.

The five of them got in and rode it in silence for the three minutes that it took to go far, far underground.

"Ruben, I've brought your pilots!" Jeremiah shouted when the doors opened.

The sheer amount of noise in the area was immense. Welding, crashing, drilling, and an assortment of other noises filtered into the air.

"Gottwald, good to see you again" an aging man with snow white hair shouted, who Suzaku assumed to be Ruben. "We'll talk in my office."

With that, Ruben turned on his heel and led them to a stairwell leading up, and away from the noise. By the time the door to his office was closed, there was silence.

"Good thing I made the plant soundproof when I built it" Ruben said, offering the five of them seats. "So, I assume the young lads are my newest pilots?"

"They are Ruben. Private Suzaku Kururugi, Private Teito Masuki and Private Franz Kessler" Jeremiah replied.

Suzaku, Teito, and Franz straightened up at the mention of their name, and looked Ashford in the eye.

"How's production?" Jeremiah asked "His highness is asking for an update."

"57% finished all five machines. My R&D people have sorted out the explosive composition and the magnetic firing field for the bearings. Kinetic impact timers are giving them a hell of a time though, but everything else has been sorted out already" Ruben said proudly.

"Good. They'll be ready on time then I presume."

"Of course!" Ruben said "The Ashford Knightmare Works never delivers late."

"We'll see" Jeremiah mused, before saying "Do you want to strap them into the simulators and have them run the software that your people designed to show them what one of these things will actually do?"

"Excellent idea Gottwald" Ruben said, rising from the desk. "Privates, come with me, and you'll see what these things will be able to do."

Once the door was closed, Jeremiah slouched in his chair.

"We've got two Elevens, and a German miscreant. What is the world coming to?" he said.

"Well my lord, if that is what his highness wishes, we must follow through. Besides, they seem like capable pilots, and their scores are very high...possibly even at the level for the Knights of the Round" Villetta said, folding her hands on her lap.

"That'll be the day" Jeremiah chucked "An Honorary Britannian as a Knight of the Round."

They both continued to laugh at their little joke, but one day, it really could come true.

* * *

><p>However, halfway around the world and earlier because...time changes...Lelouch was hard at work.<p>

"Phillips, Boxworth, is there anyone else?" Lelouch asked, hiding below a window.

The three of them were situated in a tall building, the tallest in the urban warfare environment.

It was their first day of squad based commands, and Lelouch had naturally been the one to volunteer to lead his team.

However, the plan went into a SNAFU a few minutes after they started with an ambush. That wiped out most of his squad from ten to just five, but those five made the enemy bleed.

Not literally, but figuratively.

Their bullets were actually little rubber balls with a sensor inside them. When they hit the armor that the cadets were wearing, a small spark was sent to the armor, which in turn caused the armor to totally lock and for the person to fall over 'dead.'

After losing Umbridge and Handly, it was just Lelouch, Marcus and Tommy 'Crawfish' Boxworth left, but they wore the enemy down to just five people.

"We're all that's left Britannia, take it or leave it" Tommy said in a heavy southern accent.

"Shit" Lelouch muttered "I've got a plan, but it's risky, and you'll need to follow my orders directly. Will that be a problem?"

"What's the plan?" Marcus said, tired of running from building to building to escape their pursuers.

"Alright, I'm gonna go out there and make a plenty of noise pretend to surrender, and draw them to me. Once all five are around me, I'm gonna give you a signal, which is this" Lelouch clenched his right hand into a fist above his head. "When you see that, you shoot them. I'll drop and do my best to knock out one or two of them."

"No way Britannia, I'll go" Tommy said.

"I appreciate that Boxworth, but you're and Phillips are better shots than I" Lelouch said, cocking his head to the side "Once this is over, I'll need to ask to visit the range to brush up."

"Vi, you're the commander, you can't just go off" Marcus said, before he was silenced with a wave.

"If the king does not lead, how can he expect his subordinates to follow?" Lelouch said, before crawling away from the window.

"One of you in this room, one of you in the office next door" Lelouch said, standing and walking to the door.

Marcus and Tommy nodded and went to their positions, just hovering high enough to see out the windows, but not giving anyone the chance to spot them.

* * *

><p>Lelouch descended the ten flights of stairs to the main floor, and dropped his weapon, only kept onto his body by the strap over his shoulder.<p>

He raised his hands, and walked out into the harsh sunlight.

"Hellooooo! I'm here, and I surrender!" he bellowed.

For a few seconds, nothing happened and all was silent, until two people walked out of the building on the left, and two on the right.

_"Kent is missing...where the hell is he?"_ Lelouch thought as the four surrounded him.

"Where's the other two Britannia? Tell us where they are, and it'll all be over" the leader, Mark Tuttle said.

Tuttle was an arrogant, self serving worm, and Lelouch didn't know why he was in to be an officer.

The answer Mark gave when he was asked on the first day was "I'm going to be an officer because chicks dig officers."

"I'm afraid I can't tell you where my mates are, because I don't know. They abandoned me just after you wiped out half the team" Lelouch replied calmly.

"Guys, what's going on? We taking a prisoner?" a new voice asked as it approached the group.

_"Ah, Robert Kent, glad you could make it"_ Lelouch thought, hiding a grin.

Kent made it to the group and stopped.

"Wow, we got the commander. Do we know where the others are?" Robert asked.

"No you nitwit, that's why you're supposed to be looking for them" Mark snapped, grabbing the attention of the group with his outburst.

_"Showtime"_ Lelouch thought, clenching his right hand into a fist and holding it there for a second before dropping to the ground as he swung his rifle up.

A hail of semi-automatic fire flowed from the building behind Lelouch, dropping three people, Mark included, as Lelouch took out the two in front of him with shots to the knees.

All five were frozen in a matter of seconds, as Tommy and Marcus ran out of the building cheering.

"We did it!" Marcus shouted.

"Correction, Britannia did it" Tommy said, slapping him on the back.

"Nah, you guys did all the hard work" Lelouch said, smiling.

"**What in the fuck was that!**" a voice sounded.

The three members of the Black team gulped at the sound. It was their divisional officer, Captain Bradley.

"Sir, what was what?" Lelouch asked, as the man came up to him.

Bradley was short, but he sure as hell was imposing. An aura of pure confidence radiated from his every step. The man commanded attention wherever he went, and if you didn't give it to him...well...you better like scrubbing toilets.

"What the fuck was that!? I don't care if your daddy is the Emperor of Britannia, sacrificing yourself like that, you could've been killed, and then one of these two morons would need to take over command" Bradley screamed, even though he was three feet away.

"Sir, I did what was necessary to ensure that the mission was a success. As long as the mission is complete, nothing else matters, even if the commander is killed in battle" Lelouch explained.

"Good answer Britannia! Keep it up" Bradley shouted. Geez, the guy always seemed to be shouting, even at lights out when he did his rounds, he still yelled.

Lelouch was more stunned that he received praise for his reckless action. There were many variables, and the stupidity of the red team had to be just right for them to fall for the trap.

"Training is complete for today gentlemen. Get some dinner and go do whatever you do in the evenings. Dismissed" Bradley yelled, jutting out his chin and walking away from the group.

"C'mon Vi, let's grab some chow" Marcus said, taking off his helmet and wiping the sweat from his brow.

"Yeah, I'm starved. Craw, you gonna grab some food with us?" Lelouch asked.

"I'm in" was all Tommy said, slinging his carbine over his shoulder and falling into step beside them.

* * *

><p>On the way to the mess hall they talked about anything new going on at home, they joked around with each other, and their plans for the evening.<p>

"Today's Thursday, so I need to write to a friend in Area 11 and to my older sister" Lelouch said, as they grabbed trays and stood in line.

"Which sister?" Marcus asked, as he took a plate of pasta and some garlic bread. "That family of yours is so damn big."

"I only have two older sisters, and I'm sure as hell not writing Guinevere" Lelouch said, grabbing a plate of fish and chips along with some tartar sauce.

One thing he enjoyed about the base was their wide selection of food during mealtimes. There was practically everything and anything you could want to eat there.

"Sooo...which sister is it?" Marcus asked, grabbing some pudding and placing it on his tray before making to the cutlery.

"Damn Marcus, you really need to learn your imperial family stuff" Lelouch said, shaking his head as the three of them looked for a place to sit. "I'm writing Cornelia, even though she's probably getting regular progress reports from the Colonel."

They found some seats after about a minute of looking.

"You're writing the Witch of Britannia? The Goddess of Victory herself?" Marcus asked as they sat down. "Dude, I've had a crush on her for years!"

"Woah man, that's my half sister you're talking about" Lelouch said. "Keep that shit to yourself, I don't want to hear all the fantasies you've had about her."

Tommy chuckled as he picked up his burger and took a bite. "Good plan. I don't want to hear some romance crap while I eat. Puking isn't my favorite pastime."

"Fine, be that way" Marcus said, pouting like a child "But when I start dating her, you'll be jealous."

Lelouch cut him off with a sharp laugh, and Tommy joined in.

"I think Vi has a better chance than you do Bolt" Tommy said after he finished laughing.

Ah yes, Marcus 'Bolt' Phillips as he had so affectionately been named. The name came from when he went to reload his rifle once, and couldn't get the bolt open, much to the amusement of others, and when he finally did, he fell on his ass.

Both Lelouch and Marcus started coughing heavily at that statement.

"Dude! That's my sister you're talking about" Lelouch said, once he'd recovered enough.

"Come on man, you know that she's hot. And I don't doubt that you've thought about getting together with her" Tommy said.

Lelouch had thought of this. A lot in fact. He thought about it practically every day he was in training. But he wasn't gonna let his mates know that.

"Sorry Craw, never thought of her that way, but can we drop this before I lose the dinner I just ate?" Lelouch said, grabbing his empty tray and making for the trash "See you back at the room Bolt."

* * *

><p>Lelouch walked back to the dormitories dwelling on the dinner conversation. He had plenty of time to think over his feelings for Cornelia, and they were in fact legitimate feelings.<p>

He had spent hours with this debate, and he had allowed his heart to take the lead rather than his brain in this case, and it chose love.

But the problem was explaining it. A phone call was off limits due to her being a Field Marshal, and training an army for war, an e-mail was too lax for this conversation and god forbid a text message.

No, he needed a face to face confrontation with her, to tell his feelings towards her, and see how she felt towards him, which would probably be a long time away.

Lelouch sighed as he walked into the room, and putting in the combination for his locker.

Pulling his laptop out, he placed it on his desk and sat down in the leather seat, turning the machine on and waiting for it to start up.

Once he opened his internet browser, he immediately started scanning for any and all articles of news regarding Area 11.

Anything, no matter how small or trivial, passed under the scrutiny of his hard gaze.

Finished with the daily reports, he pulled up his e-mail and began to write the weekly letter to Milly and company who were still at Ashford.

* * *

><p><em>To: Milly Ashford (Prez4lyfe.a11)<em>

_From: Lelouch Lamperouge (ChessWiz.a11)_

_Re: What's new?_

_Milly, before you ask, because you do every time I get mail from you, everything is just peachy over here. _

_Sure, we've got sweltering temperatures with marches that last tens of kilometers in full gear, but other than that, I'm still breathing._

_We had our first match of Squad Based Combat Simulations or SQUABCOMS, and the guys made me lead our team._

_It was dicey for most of the game, but in the end, we came out on top. _

_Anyways, so you've said Nunnally's been asking some questions, but you being you, didn't type them so I can't really answer what I don't see...and I don't know why she doesn't just ask me in the e-mails that I send her._

_But things are looking up, mostly because I only have two months left in this place and then I'm off to run rampant against the world._

_Still, give everyone my regards. I bet Rivalz is still waiting to see me walk through the door of the clubhouse, and I'm also interested to meet the person who's replaced me in the VP spot._

_As always, stay out of trouble._

_-Lelouch_

* * *

><p>He typed in a quick few commands which would allow the message to be sent several hours later when the people at Ashford would actually be awake to receive it, and Milly would read it to them then.<p>

And then he sat, staring at his desktop, attempting to formulate a conversation with Cornelia through e-mail.

He was well aware that she was receiving bi-weekly progress reports from Colonel Hunt, and she made it expressively clear that Lelouch was not to talk about anything other than how things were going at the base.

She didn't want to hear anything that would already be in the report to her.

That really narrowed down topics of conversation. Of course, he could always tell her what Euphemia was up to due to their regular phone conversations, and how Nunnally was over in Area 11, but that was about it.

He sat for a long time just thinking of how to start a decent conversation. Even when Marcus came in, laughed at his blank page, and went back out to hit a bar off base, Lelouch was still thinking.

So deep in thought, that more memories began to surface and he began to smile at how silly they were.

* * *

><p><strong>FLASHBACK<strong>

Lelouch was laying on the grass in the massive yard of Aries Villa.

Being the nine year old that he was, he felt perfectly content letting the world flow by around him.

He had played a match of chess against Schneizel that morning, and lost as per usual, so he was clearing his mind.

However, his relaxation was not meant to last.

"LELOUCH IS GONNA MARRY ME!"

"NU-UH!"

"YUH-HUH!"

The young boy sighed. It was about to happen.

Two shadows appeared in front of him, and roughly pulled him up by his wrists.

Each person latching onto their respective arms, screaming at each other like little girls...in fact...they were little girls.

Nunnally and Euphemia fought over who was going to marry Lelouch when they got older, and of course, it flustered the hell out of him when they both looked at him with those sad expressions.

He just needed to disappear and find some solace in a silent haven, which was usually his mother's study or inside a linen closet.

Just as they were about to ask who Lelouch would marry, and before he was about to fluster and disappear into thin air, another person chimed in.

"Actually, Lelouch already said he was going to marry me."

All three youngsters stared up at their older sister, Cornelia, as she walked over from the patio.

"Isn't that right Lelouch?" Cornelia said, getting down on one knee and ruffling his obsidian hair.

"Is this true Lelouch?" Euphemia asked.

Lelouch for a wise part, stayed silent, but it was unwise after what happened next.

Cornelia leaned in and gave him a kiss on the cheek, causing the full fluster.

But along with that, came an unexpected pro.

Both Nunnally and Euphemia shrieked, and removed themselves from Lelouch, running over to Marianne who was sitting in the gazebo.

"You looked like you could use some help" Cornelia said, winking at him "If I were you, I'd use some of that magic you have and disappear before they come back."

"Yo-you have m-my thanks sis-ter" he managed to stammer out, before heading back into the mansion.

Once safely hidden away inside Marianne's study, he moved his hand up to his face where Cornelia's lips had been a moment earlier.

There was still a strange warmth flowing through his body, as if he didn't have a care in the world.

He plopped into a recliner with a book, and began to read.

**END FLASHBACK**

* * *

><p>By now, Lelouch had a goofy smile on his face, which rarely appeared. He had forgotten all about the letter, and sighed in resignation.<p>

Finally, he decided just to wing it.

_To: Cornelia li Britannia (NellyB .mil)_

_From: Lelouch Lamperouge (ChessWiz.a11)_

_Re: Current Status_

_Well, even though you think my e-mail address is lame, look at yours. _

_Anyways, life is as it always is. Boring classes and enjoyable field training. You never told me that the classes would be so boring!_

_Euphemia has been informing me of all the goings on in Pendragon, and I really am not that interested. _

_Nunnally and a few other friends have also been keeping me updated on everything going on in Area 11, like that Schneizel came to visit her one day on his way back from the Chinese Federation._

_Other than that, I know that you don't want to hear anything about training, which is basically what I'm stuck doing here, so I'll just tell you we did SQUABCOMS today, and that's about it._

_Do tell though, how are Gilford and Darlton? You never talk about them, but I know you hold them in such high regard, that I find it odd not to have a quip here or there about something they did._

_As always, you'll be the first to know when I've made a choice on a divisional position once I get out of here._

_Train your army well sister, I feel that we will need them soon._

_Keep safe out there._

_-Lelouch_

_P.S. That marriage proposal is still up for grabs between Nunnally, Euphemia and you._

* * *

><p>Just clicking on send and powering the device into a sleep state, he looked at his watch and saw it was only 8pm.<p>

If he was lucky, he could catch the movie that was starting in the Rec Hall and at least find something other than Cornelia to occupy his thoughts.

He placed the device in his locker and clicked the lock into place, spinning the dial a random direction, before he grabbed his beret and headed out.

* * *

><p><strong>TIMESKIP: ONE MONTH LATER<strong>

Lelouch jumped out of the simulator, ecstatic at another victory.

"I told you Owens, you don't stand a chance against my tactics."

"Yeah, yeah" Owens grumbled, getting out of his own simulator and reluctantly shaking Lelouch's hand.

"Come on Lelouch, simulators are done" Marcus called "Let's get going so we're not late for hand to hand combat."

"Damn, you're right" Lelouch said "Catch you guys later."

They jogged out of the building and the half kilometer to the training field where they would be practicing that day.

"Britannia! Phillips! Nice of you to join us" Captain Bradley shouted. "Now get a partner, today, we're going to be practicing hand to hand combat. Just like the lesson last time, but this time you'll be sparring."

"Bolt, you with me?" Lelouch asked.

"Yeah Vi, I'll spar with you" Marcus replied, as they got opposite to one another.

"So, you know what regiment your sister is gonna put you in?" Marcus said, as he blocked a kick.

"Yeah" Lelouch said, catching a fist and twisting it "I'm going for the 5th Ontario Regiment."

"Nice" Marcus said, wrenching his fist free and performing a leg sweep. "Think we're going to war soon?"

"It feels like it" Lelouch replied, jumping over the sweep and going for a left hook, which was deflected "I've been keeping up with news and my brother Schneizel said he's taking the Avalon out due to failed diplomatic talks."

"Shit" Marcus said, attempting, and failing to trip Lelouch "I guess I know what we're doing once we graduate."

"Yeah. I give peace another two or three weeks, and then it'll be war with the MEF" Lelouch said, blocking a punch.

They continued to talk about the current status of the world, with each of them getting dropped every now and again.

* * *

><p>"You're finished with hand to hand, get to your next class, which is minimizing losses with Captain Trusky" Bradley shouted, after a moment of rest.<p>

The day continued much as the usual, with classes, meals, and relaxation time after the day was done.

"C'mon guys, we've got a month left!" Tommy said with joy "Just another month and we're free."

"Not really" Lelouch said as they relaxed in the common area, and turning a page in his book "Another month and we're done with training, but we'll be in the real world then."

"Yeah, but we can survive out there, and beat anything that stands in our way with you Britannia" Tommy replied.

Lelouch sighed and turned back to his book, blocking out any and all other conversation until the time came for them to head to their rooms.

After he'd changed into a set of shorts to sleep in, he brushed his teeth in the small sink inside their room.

Climbing up into bed, and blocking out the already snoring Marcus, Lelouch switched off the light and fell asleep.

* * *

><p>"I dare say it, but we've got a few of very capable Knightmare pilots on our hands" Jeremiah said, once the group finished another training session.<p>

"Thank you, my lord" the three students chorused.

"Lord Jeremiah, should we let the students go for the day?" Villetta asked.

It had been two months since the five of them started working together, and by now, Jeremiah and Villetta had gotten much more comfortable working around them.

"Yes, please do. I need to talk with Ruben about the production" Jeremiah replied "It seems as though the new frames are finished finally."

"Do you want me to accompany you on an inspection?" she asked.

"No, I'll handle this on my own. It shouldn't take too long" Jeremiah replied, getting in his car and starting the engine.

* * *

><p>Soon enough, he was standing in the massive production hall, although it was eerily silent.<p>

To tell you the truth, it was scary as shit to see five gigantic KMF without any noise whatsoever.

"**RUBEN!**" Jeremiah shouted, his voice echoing off the tall ceilings and long halls.

The man in question was nowhere to be found, until he heard "Look up Gottwald!"

Ruben was standing on a catwalk directly above him, looking out over the floor.

Jeremiah found a set of stairs leading up to the right walkway and bounded up them two at a time.

"Aren't they beautiful?" Ruben said, sweeping his arm towards the massive machines of war.

"Not really" Jeremiah said flatly.

"Not ascetically pleasing you knob" Ruben said.

Normally, to talk to nobility in such a way was forbidden, but the two had become relaxed around one another and had actually become friends.

"A 300mm cannon, titanium shield, four slash harkens, at least five tons of armor more than any other frame, and forty canisters of ammunition. They're ready for war" Ruben said. 'We've worked out all the bugs that we've found, and they're exactly what we hoped they would be."

The KMF, had wide, heavy duty steel tracks for all terrain capabilities, a massive cannon where the left forearm would be, and a large shield grasped in its right hand.

The rate of fire was somewhat slow, with one round every minute, but the ammunition more than made up for it.

The munitions consisted of many ball bearings inside a steel casing, not unlike a shotgun, which was loaded into the cannon.

When fired, once the shell reached the top of the arc, the casing broke away and the bearings were free. However, each bearing was magnetically attracted to the other. The pilot of the frame could select how tight the grouping would be, in other words, very scattered for taking out masses of infantry, or solid like a slug to punch through heavy armor on concrete.

When the canister broke open, the bearings were automatically armed, and once they hit something like dirt, the internal timer started counting down from three, and when it reached zero...BOOM!

The explosives that were developed were highly volatile yet very small, so they could be packed inside the bearings, but still be more than powerful enough to leave a small crater and spray shrapnel from the original bearings.

"Good, his highness will be most pleased to hear this" Jeremiah replied, leaning on the railing.

"I imagine so" Ruben replied, pushing off the railing and walking towards the stairs "Come on Gottwald, tell me all about the pilots training today over a cup of tea."

Jeremiah nodded and followed Ruben, who turned out the lights to the main production area, as they went to his office to talk.

_"Won't be long now"_ Jeremiah thought as he shut the door behind him.


	8. The Battle Begins

**A/N: **The chapters! They're getting longer and longer each time! Oh well, that's just too bad because I was planning on making this a very, very long story...like over 100k words long.

But, nothing interesting to say in this A/N, so I'll get right onto some responses. Oh wait...I made a choice. No harem, I'm sticking with the original pairing.

-Lordban: *Que laugh* Planning? I do no planning! My mindset is basically "Hey, I'm gonna write a story and see where it all goes." And for length, loooooong.

-Biscione: His squad is going to be like the Glaston Knights basically. Awesome pros at what they do. The KMF are quick, and are all terrain capable. They might look like slow units, but they're fast.

-LelouchXKallen: He might. Maybe he could convince Cecile to come work for him?

-misterfn: I don't plan on dropping it until I die, and please don't follow me when you die. Ghosts creep me out.

-mazariamonti: Suzaku will sorta be paired with Euphie, but he'll die before anything actually happens between them (spoiler! I'm so cruel)

-BW Lewis: Sticking with Lelouch and Cornelia.

And that's it. So...boom. Enjoy.

* * *

><p>The stands were filled with cheering families as the band played the final march that would finish the great graduation ceremony.<p>

Finally, they were officers in the Britannian Military.

Newly minted Second Lieutenant Lelouch vi Britannia marched off the parade square with the fellow graduates, and everyone quickly broke ranks after they were off.

Smiling to himself as he made his way back into his room for the final time, grabbing his duffel bag with all his belongings he turned to his roommate.

"Well Bolt, it's been a pleasure to meet you" Lelouch said, shaking his hand.

"Right back at ya Vi" Marcus said, hefting his bag on his shoulder "Who knows, maybe I'll be assigned to the same regiment as you."

"Anything is possible" Lelouch said, opening the door and walking out, unto which he was tackled.

"LELOUCH!" a female voice cried.

"Euphie! What are you doing here?" Lelouch said, when he recovered his wits. "And can I please get off the floor?"

"Oh. Right" she said, her face reddening a little due to embarrassment.

"I'm here to see you back to the capitol" she said, as she dusted off her dress. "Oh! And I have a letter to you from Cornelia."

Euphemia handed him the envelope. "Probably a love letter" she said, leering a little bit at him.

However, it was sealed with the stamp of the Britannian Army.

Ripping the letter open, his eyes scanned the page and widened.

"Lelouch?" Euphemia asked, becoming worried "What's wrong?"

Lelouch didn't answer, he simply disappeared back into the room and came out pulling another person.

"Marcus Phillips, meet Euphemia li Britannia. Euphie, this is Marcus" Lelouch said with a quick introduction "Bolt, read this."

Lelouch thrust the letter into Marcus' hands, and his eyes scanned the page.

"Shit" was all he said, before he looked up "Oh, begging your pardon, your highness."

"Lelouch, what is going on!" Euphemia said, balling her hands into fists.

"No time to explain" Lelouch said, as he started to walk down the hallway with the two of them, coming to another room and pushing the door open with a shout.

"CRAW! We got a problem!"

The room was silent for a minute, as Euphemia and Marcus looked in, until a very loud "You're fucking KIDDING me!"

Lelouch came back out with a rather large man in tow "Tommy Boxworth, meet Euphemia li Britannia, Euphemia, this is Tommy."

"Your highness" Tommy said, nodding at the princess.

"Come on, we gotta go" Lelouch said, as they all hefted their bags up.

"LELOUCH! Tell me what's going on RIGHT NOW!" Euphemia screeched.

"Come on Euphie, I'll tell you on the train" Lelouch said, grabbing her hand and leading her down the stairs and outside.

* * *

><p>They reached the railway platform five minutes later after a brisk walk. The train there wasn't set to depart for another four hours, due to families wanting to be shown around the facilities and whatnot.<p>

The engine crew was lazing around, napping on the benches, when their sunlight was blocked.

"Hey asshole, mind movin outta the way?"

"My, my, is that any way to talk to a prince of Britannia?" Lelouch said.

At once, their eyes snapped open, and they jumped up.

"My apologies your highness!" he shouted.

"Very well" Lelouch said. "Unhook the private car from the rest of the train and take us to Pendragon. Now."

"I'll call for another engine right away to take the rest of the train your highness" the engineer said, as he and the conductor ran to the engine and began to start it up.

* * *

><p>Ten minutes later, the train was blazing down the tracks with the single car, and only four occupants in that car.<p>

"Sorry for keeping you in the dark Euphie, but we needed to leave quickly" Lelouch started.

"Ten days ago, half of the XIV brigade under the command of Brigadier General West, who has been killed in battle, was surrounded in the port of Algiers by rebels. The brigade is now lead by Colonel Hartley, but are totally cut off from all friendly forces."

"I've been sent to take command of the 5th Ontario Regiment, as a brevet Lieutenant Colonel, and Cornelia has ordered me to take you both along" Lelouch stated "It seems as though she asked for reports on both of you and wasn't disappointed."

"Get to the point Vi" Marcus said, looking impatient.

"We will join the 5th Ontario when it lands in Oran two days from now, which is the closest airfield to the front, and once we've got everything sorted out, we're to make a deep push into enemy lines and link up with them. We've got a plane waiting at the airport right now, and we need to get on it."

Lelouch folded his hands on his lap. "Any questions?"

"What will the Field Marshal be doing while we're at this?" Tommy asked.

"From what I can gather, the rebels, equipped by the MEF and possibly the EU have silently come into our territory in North Africa unnoticed. They've taken large swathes of area, and fortified it due to the ineptitude of my brothers Castor and Pollux. The Field Marshal will be deep inside the MEF fighting to get to their capitol, which is located in Riyadh."

"Their troops will enter through Alexandria and cut off the enemy reinforcements from their home area. 5th Ontario, along with elements of the XIV Brigade, or whatever's left, which will be under joint command of Hartley and myself, will make a solid frontline, and start pushing the enemy back towards the Suez."

"And if Castor and Pollux get their heads out of their asses, we may be able to make several hard pushes, and clear the enemy out."

Lelouch finished and leaned back, closing his eyes, before he felt the train start to slow.

"Your highnesses, we're arriving at Pendragon Railway Terminal in a moment" a metallic voice said through the speakers.

"Come on, let's move" Lelouch said, standing up and grabbing his bag.

Marcus and Tommy mirrored this, and a minute later, the four of them were standing on the railway platform thanking the crew.

"It was an honor your highness" the engineer said, tipping his hat.

Lelouch nodded, and they all started to walk through the bustling station, brushing past the people rushing to and fro.

As Lelouch straightened his cap, he saw a man in a suit standing by a car, with a sign that read **"2nd Lieutenant Lelouch and Friends."**

Lelouch bore a wide smile as he thrust his hand out to the man with the sign.

"Percy! Didn't think you'd be the one picking us up!" Lelouch said, as he shook the man's hand.

"Well your highness, you know how it is" the elderly man shrugged.

Percy Nolan had been their driver when Lady Marianne was still alive, but quit soon after due to health reasons.

"Princess Euphemia made me come out of retirement just to pick you up, but I'll be taking you to the airport rather than the Villa" he said, opening the rear door.

"Don't worry, I already know all about it" Lelouch said, as he started to get in, but paused "It's good to see you again Percy."

"Good to see you too, your highness" Percy said, closing the door.

* * *

><p>The ride to the airport was quiet, and tense. Everyone was one edge, and even when they pulled up to the royal hanger, everyone was reluctant to board the aircraft.<p>

"Are you sure you can't stay Lelouch?" Euphemia asked.

"Orders are orders Euphie, especially when they come down from the top" Lelouch said softly.

Euphemia embraced him in a hug "Promise me that you'll be safe."

Lelouch broke the hug and looked her in the eye "I'm sorry, but I can't promise that."

And with that, Lelouch turned around and walked up the steps of the aircraft.

"We've got a sixteen hour flight ahead gentlemen, might as well get comfortable" Lelouch said, dropping his bag in the chair beside him, pulling out his phone, and pressing a button.

It rang several times, and then a groggy voice picked up.

_"Hello?"_

"Yeah, it's me."

_"Your highness. What's wrong?"_

"Load the toys on a transport and get to Oran as fast as possible. It's time."

_"Affirmative. Any other orders sir?"_

"Bring my uniform Jeremiah, and just get to Oran."

_"Yes, your highness."_

Lelouch ended the call as the engines started to whine.

"What was all that about?" Marcus asked, getting a drink from the attendant.

"You'll see" Lelouch said cryptically as the aircraft rolled out of the hanger.

* * *

><p>"Uggggghh" Lelouch said, stretching his arms high over his head after he stepped off the plane onto the tarmac.<p>

"Took the words right out of my mouth Britannia" Tommy said, arching his back and cracking several vertebrae.

"I don't care what anyone says" Marcus stated as he stumbled onto the tarmac "No plane is comfortable enough to sleep in for me."

A small figure was moving towards the aircraft on the tarmac at high speed.

This figure turned out to be two jeeps rushing out towards the plane.

"Your highness" the men said after they pulled up, jumped out, and snapped off a salute, which Lelouch returned.

"We're here to take you to the CO of the base" one of the corporals said.

"Very good then. You" Lelouch said, pointing at the man in the second jeep "Take our stuff to the temporary barracks that has been set up for us."

The man nodded and put the bags in his jeep, before pulling a 180 and speeding towards some buildings.

"Pile in guys" Lelouch said, sitting in the passenger seat of the other jeep.

Tommy and Marcus jumped into the back and they rode off towards the same buildings that the other jeep went towards.

* * *

><p>"Your highness" the Commander of the base, Group Captain Jackson said when the group walked inside the planning room.<p>

Lelouch waved it off.

"Sir, you are my senior in rank, just call me vi Britannia or my rank or whatever" Lelouch said.

"Very well then vi Britannia. You understand why you're here?" Jackson asked.

"Yes sir. The 5th Ontario regiment, led by myself, needs to rescue the XIV Brigade located in Algiers."

"Very good Britannia, come over here and you'll see your divisional numbers" Jackson replied, bringing the three of them to the large center table.

Lelouch quickly read over the list that comprised his troops.

-One armored Regiment with Seventy MBT, Five Light Tanks, Six Armored Cars, Five Command Vehicles, Five Recovery Vehicles, and Three Field Ambulances

-Four Companies labeled "Bull, Vice, Felix, and Dorian" totaling One Thousand men

- Three Squads of Mobile Artillery with Five Guns per squad

-One Transport Group with One Hundred and Fifty Trucks

-One Knightmare Group with Fifteen Frames

-One G-1 Mobile Base

-One Group of Combat Engineers

* * *

><p>"Is that it!?" Tommy shouted. "That's all we'll have to attack through heavily fortified defenses and push 415km through the desert?!"<p>

"Wrong Tommy" Lelouch said with a wicked grin "Group Captain, there will be a transport plane here in roughly...two hours. Offload their cargo and stow it someplace indoors. You'll need a large room to house it all."

"What kind of cargo?" Jackson asked, narrowing his eyes.

"I'm sorry sir, but that information is far above your pay grade" Lelouch said, before he stopped to think. "We won't have enough trucks for everything. We pack the men ten in a truck, and that's a hundred trucks, but we still need to load food, ammunition, spare weapons, fuel, water, etc. We need at least fifty more trucks."

"Vi Britannia, due to the nature of your mission, you've been given the highest authority, and we've got spare trucks on base. What kind of people would we be not to let you use them?" Jackson said.

"Much obliged Group Captain" Lelouch said, nodding his head "What intel do we have on the enemy?"

"Quite a bit, and it's all bad. They have several solid defense lines from here to Algiers. At least eight thousand men stand between you and the objective."

"Hmmm" Lelouch said "Weapons?"

"Rifles, grenades, machine guns, Bamides, and artillery."

"What is a Bamide?" Marcus asked.

"The MEF's answer to the Knightmare. We managed to capture one, and they're nasty. They can hover, but very low, so most of them have sand panels. Heavily armored, so they need either missiles, a big gun, or a railgun capable of accelerating the projectile fast enough to punch through the armor."

"But, the tops are poorly armored, so well aimed artillery or mortars can take them out. Their weaponry consists of a 230mm cannon mounted under the head, two heavy machineguns, and two missile pods mounted on the shoulders."

Jackson finished, and looked at the mortified looks on Tommy and Marcus' faces, while Lelouch remained cool.

"Interesting" Lelouch said "What's the good news?"

"The good news is that their anti aircraft weaponry is non-existent, as is a fleet. We've been sending in airdrops of supplies and munitions to the trapped men, while the Fourth Mediterranean Fleet provides fire support" Jackson said.

"So the men there can hold out for awhile then?" Lelouch asked. "Good. We'll need some time to consolidate the troops and prepare to fight."

One of the radar technicians called in "Sir! Aircraft requesting landing! Bermuda Transport Plane!"

Jackson looked over to Lelouch, who nodded "Give them the necessary clearance."

The tech saluted and went back to his station calling in.

* * *

><p>Five minutes later, the aircraft was taxiing to an empty spot reserved for special visits, and Lelouch, Jackson, and the others were in a jeep speeding towards the plane.<p>

"God damn desert" Jeremiah grumbled as he left the transport via the back ramp, followed by the other four.

Shielding his eyes from the harsh sunlight, he heard a vehicle pull up and several people get out.

"Gottwald, glad you could make it."

Jeremiah automatically dropped to one knee on impulse.

"Of course, your highness. We would never be late."

Lelouch chuckled. "Rise Jeremiah, and relax with all the kneeling. We're in a combat zone...or...we're close to a combat zone."

"Yes, your highness" he said, getting up and dusting his pants off.

"You brought the necessary items?" Lelouch said.

"Of course your highness. They're on the plane, waiting for the command to offload" Jeremiah said, pointing behind him.

"And I take it that these are my new pilots?" he asked.

"Yes. Major Villetta Nu, my most trusted subordinate" Jeremiah said, as Lelouch shook her hand "And Privates Kessler, Masuki and Private-"

"Suzaku Kururugi" Lelouch said "There's a face I didn't think I'd ever see again."

"Your highness" Suzaku said, bowing to Lelouch.

"Oh knock it off Suzaku, we're old friends" Lelouch said, grasping Suzaku's shoulders and returning him to a vertical position.

"But you're a prince now" Suzaku said.

"And I wasn't when I first went to Japan?" Lelouch said, raising an eyebrow.

"No...I mean yes...I mean" he stammered before Lelouch started to laugh.

"Come on man, relax. Oh, and this is Group Captain Jackson. We've been talking about the situation" Lelouch said, before turning towards him "Sir, is that warehouse ready?"

"Yes, I believe we can fit your...items inside" Jackson said.

"You heard the man" Lelouch said to the group "Get inside your machines and follow the jeep to where they'll be stored."

The four of them got back into their jeep, as the other five disappeared back into the aircraft.

"Dude, you didn't introduce us" Marcus said.

"Plenty of time for that later, but I didn't want to waste any more time to see these" Lelouch replied, rubbing his hands together.

"See what?" Tommy asked.

As if on cue, a deep rumbling was heard inside the belly of the transport craft, and five Knightmares trundled out on heavy tracks.

"Gentlemen, may I present to you, my toys!' Lelouch said dramatically, throwing out his arms as the five machines formed a semi-circle around the jeep. "Meet, The Rattlers."

* * *

><p><strong>2 Days Later<strong>

"Gentlemen! Welcome to Oran!" Lelouch shouted over the crowd that comprised the 5th Ontario Regiment. "Our orders are to push back the enemy, drive them all the way to the Suez Canal, but before we can do that, we must rescue the XIV Brigade, which is surrounded in the port city of Algiers."

"This mission will not be easy. The enemy has had time to fortify and consolidate their defenses, but take heart in the fact that you are not alone! All around you are people that you can trust with your lives, and you will need to in the upcoming battle."

"You have been equipped with the finest devices of war that Britannia has ever produced. Our Knightmares aren't numerous, but that doesn't matter, because they'll be used to hit hard, hit fast, and hit often. The Lazlo tanks will be the mighty force that assures our victory on the sands of this desert!"

"I tolerate nothing but THE BEST from my men, and they should expect nothing less from me. We are guests in this Area, so you will abide by their rules and all manner of international law. If there is any instance of breaking such code, there will be dire consequences."

"We will perform our attacks mostly at night, to give us full elements of surprise, and even though many of you may doubt my skills on the battlefield, I can assure you that we will push through and relieve the XIV Brigade! This Regiment shall now be known unofficially as The Black Knights!"

"Now, can I have all Commanders please join me in the planning room, thank you" Lelouch said, stepping back, and turning around with Jeremiah and Villetta in tow.

* * *

><p>Five minutes later, a congregation of officers was situated around the planning table as Lelouch overlooked each of them with a deep frown.<p>

"So...you're all green and untested. None of you have ever seen battle?"

"That's right your highness" one of them said.

"For now, just call me sir, or Lieutenant" Lelouch said. "Give me some information on our armor."

"2LT Sponsun sir! We've got Seventy Lazlo MBT's, fully loaded with fuel and ammo, Five Stewall Light Tanks, Six Mayfield Armored Cars, Five Harbinger Command Vehicles, Five Dragon Recovery, and Three Ambulances."

"Information on the Lazlo's?" Lelouch asked.

"120mm main gun, capable of firing Armor Piercing (AP) High Explosive Anti-Tank (HEAT) and High Explosive (HE) rounds."

"Penetration capabilities?" Lelouch asked again.

"258mm with AP, 340mm with HEAT, and 60mm with HE sir" Sponsun replied.

"We should be able to knock out Bamides then, even with regular AP...but HEAT would be better due to the fact that it doesn't lose penetration over distance like AP does" Lelouch stated. "Artillery?"

"That would be me, Lieutenant" another man said. He was tall, with blond hair, glasses, and a beard. "2LT Oslo at your service."

Oslo continued "We have fifteen 150mm howitzers, and a small number of rocket launchers that aren't on the manifest...maybe two or three. They're based off the EU Nebelwerfer, or as our lads have taken to calling it the 'Screaming Mimi' due to the sound it makes when firing."

"It's a 210mm rocket launcher, five barrels, using HE rockets, or incendiary, and it has a range of 7.85km. It has a fairly wide dispersion due to the uneven burn of propellant, but shrapnel should be a danger to most."

Lelouch nodded. "I like it. Phillips, Boxworth, and the rest of the gentlemen of the Infantry Companies, remain behind, as well as the Zero Squad."

The Zero Squad was what Lelouch had decided to call the specialty KMF's under his command.

Once the door had shut, everyone relaxed.

"Marcus, Tommy, you two are going to be in an infantry group. The choice is yours, but you'll all be working together. The leaders of the Company...I'm sorry, I didn't get your names" Lelouch stated

"Handly!" "Tyson!" "Nottingham!" "Furst!"

"Ah, thank you" Lelouch said. "As I was saying, get your men ready for action. We're leaving tonight. You're dismissed."

The door slid open and shut again, leaving Lelouch alone with Jeremiah, Villetta, Suzaku, Franz, and Teito were alone.

"Congratulations on your promotions Privates" was the first thing her said, shocking the three.

"Sir? Promotion?" Franz asked.

"Yes promotion. I can't have you all being privates and handling Knightmares. Nobody would like that" Lelouch said, pulling three badges out of his pocket. "In the name of the Holy Empire of Britannia, etc, etc, you are hereby given the rank of Warrant Officer."

He handed the insignias to the newly minted people, and said "Make sure to sew them on now. You're dismissed."

One the door closed, Lelouch finally slouched in his seat, letting out a tired sigh.

"Something wrong, your highness?" Villetta asked.

"No, nothing is wrong Major, I'm just a little tired" Lelouch said cracking his knuckles. "Let me just explain to you the details of our plan."

Lelouch went over to another door and knocked "Group Captain, could you please join us here?"

The door slid open and Jackson walked out.

"Did you manage to get in contact with Castor and Pollux?" Lelouch asked.

"Yes, Lieutenant."

"And?" Lelouch asked causing Jackson's expression to form into one of distaste.

"They _regret_ to inform us that they have no intentions of moving in against the rebel forces until they know they have superior might to crush them."

"Did you record the conversation like I asked you too?" Lelouch said, as Villetta and Jeremiah gave him confused looks.

"I did, and here is the recording" Jackson replied, pulling out a flash drive and handing it to Lelouch.

"Good. We now have suitable blackmail material in-case they do anything stupid, and knowing them, they will" Lelouch said, rubbing his forehead before continuing.

"Now, onto the battle slated for tonight. We're roughly thirty kilometers from the front lines, so we'll need to drive there. Group Captain Jackson has been kind enough to lend us fifty of his trucks to help move men, supplies, and to tow heavy weapons such as the artillery up to the front."

"I'll let you inform the men of where to set up when the time is opportune, but I'll want artillery here, here, and here" Lelouch said, drawing three marks in pencil on the map. "Members of the Zero Squad will also be present, and will get to test their new weapons, wide dispersion path through."

"Our available Sutherland Frames will roll in at these locations *more pencil marks* and using their factsphere sensors figure out where the largest concentration of troops are, and destroy them. Our Lazlo tanks will fire HE shells at bunkers that survive the initial artillery barrage."

"Hopefully by this point, the enemy will have seen how desperate any resistance efforts would be, and they would surrender. If not, then our infantry should have no problems dealing with them."

Lelouch leaned onto the table "Any questions? Suggestions?"

"No, your highness" Jeremiah and Villetta answered.

"Good. Have the men start loading the trucks. We open fire at...2130. Dismissed" Lelouch said, before pausing "Jeremiah, did you bring my uniform?"

"Yes your highness."

"Could you please get it for me. I feel rather...bland in this ceremonial dress" Lelouch said smiling.

"At once sir" Jeremiah replied, his own malicious grin forming.

* * *

><p><strong>415km away, in Algiers<strong>

"Colonel! Radio report coming in!"

"What does it say?" Colonel Hartley replied.

"Confirmation of an imminent Britannian counterattack, with aims to rescue the remainder of the brigade."

"No shit?" Hartley asked "Who are they, and who's leading them?"

"5th Ontario Regiment, led by Second Lieutenant Lelouch vi Britannia."

"A thousand men against...what do the rebels have...eight thousand around us...and that's the distance from Oran to here as the crow flies? They'll never make it halfway" he snorted.

"Care for a wager sir?" the radio operator said.

"What kind?" the Colonel asked.

"If they make it, I get five hundred pounds, if they don't I pay you five hundred."

Hartley started to grin "I'll take that bet Corporal."

They'd been trapped for nearly two weeks, but thanks to the efforts of the Britannian Air Force (BAF) and the Royal Britannian Navy (RBN) and their own men, they had managed to fend off every attack that had come their way.

They had mined the roads leading in, and erected barbed wire to hold the enemy at bay, but it was only a matter of time until things started to get bad, even with the supply drops.

Hartley actually hoped he was wrong, and their reinforcements arrived soon.

* * *

><p><strong>30km from Oran, 2120 in the evening, August 5th (I Day)<strong>

Lelouch sat halfway out on the turret of the Lazlo. It was pitch black, with the only illumination provided by the moon and the stars overhead.

They had approached within three kilometers of the enemy lines, and set up their artillery at the designated spots.

The Black Prince, true to his name, was blending in with the night.

The totally black tankers uniform, with the only color being provided by silver accents and the bars that signified his rank where able to be seen in daylight.

The night was deadly silent, which many found odd due to the fact that there were massive hulking machines of death not too far away, and they were sitting in a tank.

Lelouch dropped down onto the commander's seat and closed the hatch with a quiet clang.

"Zero Squad, are you in position?" he asked into his radio.

**"Yes, your highness"** they chorused back.

"Artillery batteries, are you in position and loaded? That includes the Nebelwerfer's too" he said.

Again, the reply was a chorus of affirmative.

Lelouch looked around the tank. They had left the generator running to power the lights, and the hydraulic pumps, which allowed rotation of the turret and movement of the barrel.

The young Corporal manning the loading position was trembling a little. Whether it is fear, or nerves, Lelouch had no idea.

"Relax Corporal, just focus on your duties, and you'll be fine."

The boy nodded, and turned back to the front of the tank.

"All units, engage night vision."

Inside his tank, the gunner and the driver shifted special lenses down, which allow everything to be seen, albeit in a greenish tinge.

Very clearly they could see the sand dunes with black dots that signify a bunker, and snaking lines that signify trenches.

"All artillery units, begin bombardment" he muttered into the radio.

The roar of the guns was immediate, and accurate. Shells began crashing into the enemy lines, wreaking havoc on their troops.

"Kraken adjust your fire two degrees left."

The artillery group acknowledged and the next salvo fell dead on target.

This time joining in, he heard the high pitched whooshing and screaming of rockets cutting through the air. Fifteen HE rockets smashed into the enemy positions, scattering sand, concrete, and human bodies all over the place.

"Zero Squad, fire your first canister, remember, wide dispersion."

The rocket salvo was cut off by heavy explosions behind the tanks.

Lelouch watched in glee through his viewports as there were at least six hundred individual small explosions in the enemy troops.

"Sutherlands! Forward! Armor, advance behind them and open fire on their positions!"

The gun thundered and recoiled as the shell was forced out of the barrel, and a few seconds later, a fresh round was loaded into the breach.

The cycle continued. Load, aim, fire, repeat.

A horrific screech reverberated through the hull of the tank, as an enemy round ricocheted off the upper front plate.

"AT gun! Thirty degrees left!"

The massive turret swung around and the gun roared into action once again.

"Enemy down, nice work" he complimented.

"Vice Company, tighten up that flank" Lelouch said into the radio "Don't let any of them through."

He popped is head out of the tank, watching the enemy lines get closer and closer. Just then, everything went silent and his radio crackled to life.

**"Sir! Enemy forces are surrendering! Should we take prisoners?"**

"Do it" Lelouch said "All infantry companies advance and remove their weapons, but keep yours at the ready."

He hauled himself out of the tank so he was sitting on the top of the turret, his legs dangling freely inside the machine.

A private came running up beside his tank and saluted "Sir! There's a correspondent here to meet you!"

_"A newsman? Here? Why?"_ Lelouch thought as he pulled his legs up out of the tank and hopped down onto the sand.

Lelouch dusted his uniform off and was approached by a man.

"Your highness, my name is Diethard Ried and-"

"Woah woah there" Lelouch said. The man was going a mile a minute and he looked giddy as a schoolgirl with a crush "Can you spell your name for me?"

"Yes, your highness. D-I-E-T-H-A-R-D. Is the first name and-" again, he was cut off.

"So...your name is Diet Hard?" Lelouch deadpanned, before breaking out into laughter. He pulled out his radio. "Jeremiah, get-get to my position. There's someone here you gotta meet."

Lelouch calmed down for a second, and said "Just wait for my 2IC to get here, and we'll discuss business."

"Yes, your highness" Diethard said.

A KMF rumbled up beside them, and Jeremiah jumped out.

"Major Jeremiah Gottwald, meet Diet Hard Ried" Lelouch said, managing to contain his laughter until the end of the sentence before breaking down.

Jeremiah also couldn't hold anything other than his sides as he doubled over.

"Phew! Sorry about that Mr. Ried, but a laugh every now and again is good for the body" Lelouch said, wiping a tear from his eye "Now what can we do for you?"

"As I was saying, I'm a television correspondent, and I would like to document your drive through this area" Diethard said.

"Very well then" Lelouch agreed "As long as you're not going to be flattened by a tank, you can stay and report."

Lelouch pulled the radio out of his pocket once again and thumbs down the talk button.

"All forces, mount up and roll out. We've got men coming in from the Oran Airbase to take care of these prisoners. We've gotta cover another fifty or so clicks before we hit their next defensive line at Mostaganem."

Lelouch looked back at Diethard and said "Get in a truck, a jeep, or sit on top of a tank. We're rolling out."

The roar of the tank engine beside him furthered his point as Lelouch climbed back onto L-21 and sat like he was before Diethard came over.

"Travel Formation Jones" he said into the radio as they started to move forward.

* * *

><p>Four hours later, it was still dark, but Lelouch knew he had to hurry.<p>

The sun would start peeking over the horizon in a few hours, and a garrison dug in, that was also in control of a large city would take some time to knock out.

"_HMS Nelson_ do you copy?"

**"This is the Nelson. Whom may we ask is calling?"**

"Second Lieutenant Lelouch vi Britannia of the 5th Ontario Regiment. I saw you guys are hanging around close to Mostaganem."

**"Yes we are your highness. Is there anything we can do for you?"**

"Actually yes, there is. We're going to be assaulting that city in about a half an hour. Can we get a little bit of fire support from you gentlemen?"

**"Certainly your highness. Just give us the word when you want us to begin."**

"Roger."

* * *

><p>The tank pulled to a stop with the brightly lit outskirts of the city well in sight. Jeremiah walked up beside Lelouch as he looked down from the hill with a pair of binoculars.<p>

"There's a war going on, and they go and light themselves up like a Christmas tree. I just don't get it" Lelouch said, putting the glasses away and shaking his head.

"Permission to speak freely sir?"

"Go ahead Jeremiah."

"I think your brothers are to blame for allowing the enemy to relax" Jeremiah said after a moment, which earned a barked laugh.

"No shit. Castor and Pollux sat on their asses and let the enemy dig in on the front. Fortunately, because of their stupidity not to attack, it lulled the enemy into a false security" Lelouch replied. Then asked "Have the guns been set up?"

"Yes sir. They've sighted the enemy barracks and fuel storage areas."

"Change the target from fuel storage to munitions. We have plenty of ammo, but could always use more fuel" Lelouch ordered, climbing back onto the tank. "Oh, and Jeremiah?"

"Yes your highness?"

"How are you enjoying the Rattlers?" Lelouch asked.

"Fantastic sir" Jeremiah replied, saluting and walking back to his frame.

* * *

><p>The time ticked down to the start of the attack, Lelouch once again pulled out his trusty radio.<p>

"Nelson, do you copy?"

**"Yes your highness. Shells and missiles are loaded, just give the word."**

"Artillery batteries Kraken, Mouse, and Bear, do you copy?"

**"That's a big 10-4 sir!"**

"Open fire on rebel forces."

For the second time all around him, guns and rockets roared into life, sending their deadly volleys straight at the enemy positions, ripping apart their front lines.

"Lazlo's and Sutherland's, begin the pincer movement."

Lelouch had decided to attack from two directions, that way, the defenders would be confused and their fire would be split between two directions, and therefore, not be as effective as it could be.

Once again, the battle was over before it really started with the rebels surrendering their positions and weapons after suffering a moderate amount of casualties.

**"HMS Nelson here, Prince Lelouch, do you copy?"**

"Lelouch here, what's the problem?"

**"The enemy managed to get off a distress call and we've intercepted the response. It isn't good your highness."**

"Well don't keep me in suspense, can you read it?"

**"Yes your highness. 'We have received your distress call 4th Regiment, and are sending armored reinforcements to your position. Will be there in four hours.' Do you know what that means?"**

"Bamides."

**"Yes your highness. We won't be able to give you anymore fire support. 66th Task Force is moving closer to Algiers. Sorry sir."**

"You've done more than enough Nelson, give my thanks to your captain and crew. Vi Britannia, over and out."

* * *

><p>Throwing open the turret of his tank, Lelouch went to go and find some very special members of the Regiment.<p>

"Hey Suzaku! If all the fights are like this, we'll be in Algiers in just a day or two" he shouted to his Japanese friend as he continued to look for the engineering squad.

Finally he found them.

"I heard you guys can do some pretty amazing things with demolition charges" they all nodded at their CO, causing Lelouch to smile. "Well, I need some magic performed."

* * *

><p>Sunshine in the desert. It was gorgeous to see the light hit the sand, and have some of it sparkle like crystals.<p>

Of course with sun, you get a lot more heat. This is when being the Black Prince could really suck.

"God dammit, why couldn't we attack somewhere like Russia in the middle of winter" he grumbled, pulling at his uniform collar.

It was 0645 in the area.

"They're late. The enemy should've been here forty five minutes ago" Villetta muttered beside him.

"Patience Major. I think I see them coming now" Lelouch said, pointing at the large clouds of dust poking up over a dune.

They had split their tank forces in two and put them on either side of the road.

The road in question, was inside a valley, with high sand dunes on both sides. Lelouch had ordered the tanks to be put in a hull down position so that the only things showing were their turrets, and even those were well camouflaged.

He whipped out his radio.

"Gentlemen, load your HEAT rounds!"

**"Yes sir!"**

They had already run through a quick simulation of what would and could happen during the ambush, and they had some very big surprises in store for the rebels.

_"This is all just one big performance to him"_ Diethard thought has he filmed the Bamides starting to roll into the valley.

Once the formation of roughly seventy enemy vehicles was inside, the first one was just passing the tank which was closest to the city.

Lelouch and Villetta jumped into a jeep which started to speed towards Mostaganem to spring the rest of the plan.

"Armor, open fire on the enemy units."

**"Yes sir!"**

The thunder of guns could be heard for miles around as shells streaked over the sands towards the sides of the Bamides.

Several of the machines were hit with three or more shells, and crumpled to the ground, exploding and killing their crews.

As the onslaught continued, one of the tank commanders, Sergeant Huxley called Lelouch.

"Sir, I think we've got their attention!"

**"Very well. Pull back and begin Phase two."**

"Roger."

The tanks reversed out of their positions and spun in sync, taking off towards the outskirts of the city with the enemy close behind.

It was like watching a ballet as they moved down the narrow streets. The Bamides split up to attempt to eradicate the enemy forces.

One of the Lazlo's popped several canisters of smoke right in front of an MEF frame. When the smoke cleared, the pilot was looking down the barrels of six handheld rocket launchers.

The crew quickly surrendered after that.

All throughout the city, frames were being surrounded by infantry, or by the tanks, forcing the crewmembers to surrender or die.

The remaining frames, roughly forty of them, came together in the city center to make a stand and regroup.

"Villetta, would you do the honors?" Lelouch said, handing her a small device with a button on it.

"I'd love to, your highness" she replied, depressing the button.

This caused a chain of explosions to go off, all around the Bamides. Once the smoke cleared, every way in and out of the city center was blocked by high walls of rubble.

**"Attention members of the rebel forces, this is Second Lieutenant Lelouch vi Britannia, commander of the 5th Ontario Regiment. My forces seem to be in need of some artillery practice and have trained their guns on the city center, where you are all so conveniently sitting."**

**"If you wish to survive, you will exit your frames now and you shall be treated in accordance with international law. If you don't...well then, I can't promise you anything."**

Lelouch put the megaphone away and watched from his vantage atop a skyscraper as hatches were popped open and rebel troops came out with their hands up.

Diethard had been watching and decided on a quick interview.

"So your highness. You've started your blitz through North Africa and won a major battle. How do you feel?"

"To be honest Ried, I need something to eat" Lelouch replied as he walked towards a stairwell leading to the ground floor.

* * *

><p>He made his way out of the front of the building and past the rows of prisoners that were lined up for processing. They would be sending them back on the spare trucks they borrowed from Group Captain Jackson, due to the fact that they've already used quite a bit of ammunition, which means they can fit more troops into a truck.<p>

"Major Gottwald!" Lelouch shouted over the dull roar, and in a moment, he was beside Lelouch.

"Yes your highness?"

"Have sentries posted around the area. We'll stay here for today and move out an hour before sundown" Lelouch ordered. "Has there been any changes from Castor or Pollux?"

"Yes your highness. Both princes have begun moving up, but have made advances of only ten kilometers at the farthest" Jeremiah reported.

"Damn, looks like we'll be the center of attention then" Lelouch muttered, smacking his fist into an open palm. "Anyways, you have your orders. I'm going to get something to eat."

Jeremiah nodded and walked off towards a group of men to find a few for sentry duty.

* * *

><p>Lelouch walked over to the G-1 Base and went inside. Flopping onto the couch in his personal quarters, a harsh, two tone ringing broke the silence, but still, he ignored it.<p>

"Brother? Are you dead?"

Lelouch groaned and turned his head to the screen "No Clovis, I'm very much alive thank you very much. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Oh, just checking up is all" Clovis replied with a smile.

"So, basically Schneizel asked you to check on me?" Lelouch said, hiking an eyebrow.

"No! Whatever gave you that idea" Clovis said, wrinkling is nose, which is his tell that he's lying.

"Well, you can tell Schneizel that I'm currently in Mostaganem. Diethard Ried should be putting something on television about all this soon" Lelouch replied yawning.

"Are you tired Lelouch?" Clovis asked.

Lelouch sighed wearily "Clovis, my attacks started at 9:30pm last night and I've been going solid since then. We've blitzed a little over eighty kilometers in one day. Most of the days before were planning, so we haven't gotten much sleep."

"I see. Prisoner count?" Clovis asked.

"Rounding up? Close to a thousand from the reports I've gotten" Lelouch replied.

"Oh. Well then, terribly sorry for the interruption brother. I'll let you sleep. Goodbye Lelouch."

"Goodbye Clovis."

The screen flickered to black and Lelouch replaced his face into the cushions trying to get some sleep.

Flipping onto his back, he was again assaulted by the two tone chime of the video screen.

Without even opening his eyes, he shouted "God dammit Clovis. Leave me alone, I already told you what I knew."

The deep, rumbling laughter that gave him an answer certainly didn't sound like any of Clovis' men.

Lelouch shifted his head to look at the screen. The next thing he did was to jump off the couch and snap to attention.

"General Darlton! Excuse my insubordination sir!"

Darlton hiked an eyebrow "At ease your highness? You can be a little less formal because I'm not around anyone."

"Thanks Andreas" Lelouch said sitting back down. "I assume the Field Marshal is asking for an update on the situation?"

Darlton nodded in the affirmative. The only reason that Lelouch knew Darlton so informally was that he came to the PMA a few times to give lectures, and when he heard there was a member of the royal family there, he went to personally meet with Lelouch, and they became friends.

"5th Ontario has moved a little over eighty kilometers from Oran. We're currently in Mostaganem for another...about twelve hours until dusk when we'll move out to engage the next line of defenses."

Darlton let out a low whistle. "Impressive work Lelouch."

"How are you guys doing out there?" Lelouch asked.

"It could be worse. We landed three days ago, and the city of Alexandria has fallen into our control and we've advanced about fifteen kilometers in a half circle with the city at the center" Darlton said. "Resistance has been relatively light, probably because most of it is concentrated around the XIV Brigade."

"Or whatever's left of it" Lelouch grunted. "Let me guess, Guilford is still following my sister around like a sick puppy?"

Darlton started to chuckle, which then turned into a hearty chortle. "You know it. Even though she hasn't shown any romantic interest in him, he's still trying."

A sudden pounding on Darlton's door startled them both, and they could hear the distinct feminine voice of Cornelia shouting something about advising.

"Oh damn. Looks like duty calls. Good luck on your front Lelouch."

"And to you Andreas" Lelouch said, ending the call. He could practically hear his sister yelling at her advisor from here. He couldn't help but chuckle as he put the video phone on silent and curled up on the couch to get some much needed rest.


	9. War is Hell, but then Again, so is Love

**A/N: **No, I didn't die. Not yet anyways, I've just been uber swamped with stuff. Christmas is closing in, and now I've got two jobs, one with UPS which keeps me busy during the week, and one washing dishes at a banquet hall in my city on Saturday nights.

Anyways, I finally sat down and hashed this out, but you won't like what I need to say next.

Currently, I'm trying to really push most of my stories to completion, because I've been accepted into the Canadian Military and I leave for basic training in less than two months. Yeah, I know, right?

So, I'll be working on stories whenever I've got the time to do so, and I won't be posting any new ones, except for maybe a couple of one shots.

However, people should be happy, cause the romance finally takes off in this chapter, and it has a great, smutty ending that people will enjoy.

Now, onto the relevent reviews!

psyshot0385- Better late than never, am I right? But I'm really glad you're enjoying the story man!

agarfinkel- I'm not sure if there will be anymore non canon characters yet.

Guest- Hi, I'm writing this story, so if I want to make it not make sense, that's my prerogative. I'm the author, and I choose where the story goes from start to finish. Sure, there may be a poll or two to see where things should go, but that's it. If I want Suzaku to meet Lelouch, he will, and he did.

And that's it! On with the show!

* * *

><p><strong>August 12th (I Day + 6)<strong>

They had been in Algiers for nearly four hours now, and were focusing on moves to drive the enemy back.

"Dammit Britannia, we can't overextend the left flank or they'll cut off Bull from the rest of the brigade!" Colonel Hartley shouted.

So far, they had been in a debate for three of the four hours on how to advance from Algiers towards the Suez Canal.

"How else are we going to control the coastal roads and push west if we don't send an advance troop ahead? We've got Castor and Pollux on the right flank, finally getting their shit together, so we can push the left flank and center in a sweeping motion" Lelouch said. "By the time we get to Tunis, we'll have a line from there to Gafsa. We can then surround the enemy in Sfax and then turn south to Gabes then proceed west."

"Fine" Hartley said exasperated "We'll do it your way! But when this plan fails and the Field Marshal comes looking for someone to blame, I'll send her to you."

With that, Hartley stomped out of the G-1 to go to his command tent. The date of the attack was August 14th, to at least let the troops have a little bit of rest and relaxation from their long drive.

He had only been in conference once with Hartley, Darlton and Cornelia all at the same time to work out plans of what to do when Algiers was taken care of. The moment Lelouch brought that plan up, nobody had a problem with it, but Hartley scowled, and was about to oppose when Darlton said it was such a good idea.

Lelouch knew the man was going to be a problem, and he was. From the last four hours that 5th Ontario had been in the city, Hartley did nothing but complain.

* * *

><p>He left the planning room and walked over to the kitchen, intent on making a sandwich.<p>

"Is that asshole gone?" Marcus asked from his position on the couch in the next room.

"Couldn't you hear him leave? Stomped all the way to the door. If it was on hinges he probably would've snapped em clean off" Lelouch said, pulling out a loaf of bread. "We may all hate him, but he's the ranking officer here."

"Who do we hate?" Jeremiah asked, walking into the kitchen after taking a shower.

Since they had been in combat for a week, formalities other than rank had been dismissed, and Lelouch actually liked the casual Jeremiah more than the fanatical one.

But one of the nice things about the G-1 was the fact that it had working plumbing. Water was recycled and reused for showers, sinks, and the toilet, while there was a second tank devoted only to drinking water that could also be used for cooking.

"Our new Colonel" Lelouch said, spitting out the rank like it was poison. "He fought against my plan for three hours. I was tempted to get Darlton on the line and have him talk some sense into that nut."

"Did he finally agree to your plan?" Jeremiah asked, opening the fridge and pulling out a bottle of soda.

"Finally" Lelouch grunted "We move out in two days."

"Good. I hate all this waiting around bullshit" Tommy said, sitting in the chair beside Marcus.

"Hey, might as well give the men a little time off. They've earned it" Lelouch said, shrugging as he put some meat on the bread. "Jeremiah, do you know what our reinforcements consist of?"

"Yes, your highness, although you may be surprised" Jeremiah said, before launching in. "They're giving you operational command of the X (tenth) Division, due to the large area's we have to cover. They're also sending us two hundred tanks and another fifty Sutherland frames. Along with more artillery."

If Lelouch had been drinking something, he would've spat it right onto the counter.

"You can't be serious" he said, staring at the aqua haired major. "They can't give a Second Lieutenant command of a division."

"That's what your brother, Prince Schneizel ordered, so we're really in no position to question it" Jeremiah said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Well, at least well have enough men to make that battle line then" Lelouch replied, putting the finishing touches on his sandwich and cutting it down the middle. "This is about to get interesting."

* * *

><p><strong>August 14th (I Day + 8)<strong>

"Paperwork! Always doing paperwork" Lelouch muttered, looking over their requisition order, and then signing it.

A knocking at the door signaled someone asking for entrance, and Lelouch simply said "It's open."

Villetta walked in with fury in her eyes. "Sir, there's been a problem."

Lelouch sighed. There had been nothing but problems for the past two days, and all of them were charges against his men.

"What are the charges this time?" he asked, closing his eyes.

"Rape, your highness" she replied in a cold tone. "Six men and an officer."

The moment the word rape left her mouth, he was up and pulling his hat on and walking out the door with her close behind.

The villagers were in a crowd around several men, shouting obscenities and other things, it was close to becoming a full blown riot.

The moment Lelouch walked into the group, people parted and became silent.

On the ground, tied by their hands and feet were seven men. Six enlisted, and a Second Lieutenant.

"My, my, Mister Jones. How good to see you again" Lelouch said, sarcasm and venom dripping from his tone.

"Good day your highness" he replied, a smug smirk on his face "Me and my mates here are in kind of a bind, so could you please untie us?"

"You should know by now, that won't happen Jones" Lelouch replied, moving his hands behind his back. "One of the first things I told you, was that we were guests here, and if anything happened concerning my men, there would be consequences. Do you remember that?"

"Yes your highness. As a matter of fact, I do" he replied, smirk still in place.

"Good, then you'll accept the punishment I give you" Lelouch said, standing straighter.

"And what might that be?" Jones asked, rolling his eyes.

Lelouch smiled a little, and replied. "Why, Mister Jones, your punishment is death."

He withdrew his pistol from his holster and pointed at the young man's forehead.

"Wait..what!? You can't do this" Jones replied, fear and panic in his eyes and voice.

"Afraid I can, and I will" Lelouch said, squeezing the trigger and putting a round in his forehead. He turned around to address the crowd "Now the rest of you who think that disobeying my orders is the right thing to do, please, do it."

"What about the rest of them, your highness?" Villetta asked.

"Thirty lashes. Make sure they scar" was all he said, turning around and walking back to the G-1 that served as home.

* * *

><p><strong>One Hour to Dusk, same day<strong>

Lelouch, Jeremiah, and Colonel Hartley were bent over a map on the hood of a jeep.

"Alright, so we know that the road is mined, considering that there's only one straight highway through, so we'll be off roading it" Lelouch said, drawing a line through the area beside the road. "We'll have offshore support from the 66th task force, and be pushing along a fifty five kilometer front from the beaches to Aissaouia, which we took yesterday. We'll be fighting alongside Castor and his six divisions, while Pollux is further south with eight divisions.

"Neither of them have had any military training, so I don't even see the point in giving them that many troops when they would be better suited with us. Anyways, we'll moved out along the front, and we should be able to push roughly one hundred kilometers in the night, because resistance is minimal, thanks to Princess Cornelia giving the MEF hell so that they can't reinforce their western territories."

The two other men with him nodded, signaling their approval, even though Hartley didn't like the plan, he went along with it anyways.

* * *

><p><strong>August 29th (I Day + 23) Just outside Tunis <strong>

"How long have we been shelling this place for?" Franz asked, listening to the thunder of guns off in the distance.

"About...two hours" Suzaku said, looking at his watch.

"Why don't we just attack? We can overwhelm them easily" Teito shouted, kicking the sand with his boot.

"Come on, Prince Lelouch hasn't turned us wrong yet, so I think he knows what he's doing" Franz retorted.

"Yeah, well he also hasn't thanked us for anything" Teito said, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"He's our CO, he's not supposed to thank us. We're just supposed to fight" Suzaku said, trying to shut Teito up.

They had been slogging across the deserts, with minimal resistance, and they were finally at the fortress of Tunisia.

The rebels had taken refuge in the city, and had fortified it as their last major stronghold in North Africa.

Intelligence estimates were around seventy five thousand men, along with at least five hundred Bamides were defending the city.

* * *

><p>Lelouch stood high above the field in his mobile base, watching the artillery streak through the sky.<p>

"Villetta, have the mines been placed?" Lelouch asked.

"Yes sir. All have finished digging, and are showing green across the board" the silver haired woman replied.

"Good. This should substantially help us in taking the city with minimal friendly and civilian casualties" Lelouch said, smiling as he looked at the overhead image of the city.

Ruben Ashford was a miracle worker. Lelouch had ordered ten of the specialty mines, and they were built and shipped in less than a week.

They had the ability to dig through the sand/dirt/mud/whatever ground, excluding solid concrete, and position themselves under the largest concentrations of troops or vehicles that were anywhere.

They have camera's that can cut through the ground to take pictures of what the city looks like underneath, so they can be directed to strategic targets, and the large amount of explosives that they carry can be remotely detonated.

"What are the targets?" he asked.

Villetta nodded and turned to a screen. "We have at least forty thousand men and three hundred Bamides inside the blast zone from six of the mines, along with three fuel depots and four ammunition dumps with the rest."

"Really?" Lelouch said. "I didn't think that they would be stupid enough to put their fuel and ammo so close. Oh well, pity for them."

Jeremiah walked into the main room as Lelouch took a seat on the throne.

"Sir, will you need the Zero Squad for this attack?"

"I'm sorry Jeremiah, but no" Lelouch told him. "Was there anything else?"

"Yes sir" Jeremiah replied "A message from Princess Cornelia's staff. It reads 'Arrived in Riyadh three hours ago, MEF forces signed surrender, now to be known as Area 18. Pressure should ease now that the rebels are on their own. Princess Cornelia extends an invitation to Prince Lelouch and two members of his staff to meet in Riyadh for dinner.'"

"Interesting" Lelouch mused out loud. "Jeremiah, draft a reply, but first."

Lelouch paused and pulled an object out of his pocket. It was a detonator for the ten mines that had burrowed under the rebel positions.

A grin came onto his face as he said "Fire in the hole" and pushed down the button.

The explosions shook the ground, causing the G-1 base to shudder.

"Wow" Jeremiah said "Ruben really packed those things with explosives."

The smoke started to rise over the city of Tunis as the tanks, infantry, and Sutherlands pushed forwards to take out the remnants of the rebel forces and secure the city.

"Villetta, how far behind us are my brothers?" Lelouch asked.

"At least one hundred kilometers sir" Villetta replied, a sour look on her face.

Lelouch sighed. "It would be like them. Jeremiah, here is my response to the invitation. 'I would be honored to attend, and will be bringing along Majors Gottwald and Nu to accompany myself for the dinner celebration. We will leave as soon as Tunis has been taken.' You got that Jeremiah?"

"Yes sir" Jeremiah said, saluting as he walked out.

"Sir, I can't go for dinner with you and Major Gottwald, I'll be needed here to run the division" Villetta said, before Lelouch held a hand up.

"Major Nu, Colonel Hartley will be taking care of the division, and the only thing that we need to worry about is solidifying the frontline in order to push south to Sfax" Lelouch said "Was there any other reason you can't attend?"

"No sir" she said, turning back to the monitor.

"Wonderful. Keep me posted in-case the rebels surrender" Lelouch said, standing up and walking out of the room.

* * *

><p><strong>August 30th (I Day + 24) Riyadh<strong>

Cornelia was excited. The thrill of battle had finally worn off, and the Middle Eastern Federation had surrendered all their territory and troops to the Britannian Empire.

Now there was only the rebel forces in North Africa to take care of, and they would be home free.

She didn't really know why she invited Lelouch and some of his staff to a celebratory dinner, mostly because it wasn't her style to do things like that.

But no, her staff had called for a celebration after the new area was coined, so she went along with it.

It wasn't even her idea to invite Lelouch, that credit went to General Darlton, but still, she couldn't help but smile when she thought of him arriving.

The door slid open to reveal her knight, Guilford, standing as stoic as usual.

"Your highness, Prince Lelouch and his guests have arrived."

She nodded to him and said "Thank you Guilford."

Getting up from her desk inside the G-1, she strode out the door where Guilford and Darlton were waiting for her.

They automatically fell into step behind her as she walked down the stairs and out the door.

The harsh, waning sunlight greeted them as they stepped outside, scanning in the direction of the airfield for an approaching vehicle.

Guilford was the first to spot a jeep coming towards them, and stopping short distance away.

Lelouch exited the vehicle in his trademark attire of a black cape and a black suit with silver inlay.

His guests were both wearing uniforms, with the rank of Major on them, and were stepping out right behind Lelouch.

But it was Darlton who surprised all of them.

With a shout of "My boy!" the large man ran up and grabbed Lelouch in a bear hug.

Cornelia cracked a smirk as her most grizzled General was crushing her brother in a hug, as the others looked on in amusement.

Lelouch coughed once and said "It's good to see you too Andreas, now, could you put me down please?"

Darlton smiled a little sheepishly as he lowered Lelouch back down onto the ground.

"Sorry your highness, it's just very good to see you again" Darlton said, patting Lelouch on the shoulder.

"Trust me Andreas, I feel the same way about seeing you" Lelouch said, a genuine smile forming on his face as he gave the older man a hug.

"I take it you two are friends?" Cornelia asked, getting their attention.

"When the General came to the PMA several times to give lectures, we met and became friends" Lelouch said, before looking at Darlton "You mean he didn't tell you?"

"Your highness, don't put this all on me" Darlton said, gulping audibly.

Lelouch chucked at this, and said "Don't worry Andreas, I'm sure that you won't be in _too _much trouble."

He continued, as he gestured for his staff to come forward. "I would like you to meet my second in command, Major Jeremiah Gottwald, and my aide, Major Villetta Nu."

Both officers stepped forth when their names were called, and crossed an arm over their chest as a salute.

"Now, I believe that there was mention of a dinner?" Lelouch said, as they dropped their arms back down.

* * *

><p><strong>Two hours later<strong>

"And that's why the school bus was on fire" Darlton said, finishing his story and getting a laugh from everyone.

"You really were a wild kid back in the day Andreas" Lelouch said, wiping a tear from his eye.

"Back in the day? Why your highness, I'm still wild even to this day" Darlton replied, before getting up and stretching. "I think it's about time for me to turn in."

Both Villetta and Jeremiah nodded and got up, as Cornelia said "Guilford will show you both to your rooms."

Guilford nodded, and gestured for them to follow, which they did, leaving Lelouch alone with Cornelia.

The two had agreed to maintain a fully professional footing when others were present, but when they were left alone, they allowed themselves to be a little more relaxed.

The door closed behind the four members who left, and Lelouch let out a weary sigh, slouching in his chair and rubbing his eyes.

"This war is already hell, and I'm not even finished my fourth objective yet" he said, folding his hands on the table.

"Lelouch" Cornelia said, leaning forward "You'll soon learn that every war is hell, and that you'll never get used to it."

"Now come" she said, getting up and pushing in her chair. "I'll show you to your quarters."

"Thank you" he replied, standing up and pushing his chair in.

Following her through the many halls of her personal base, which was laid out differently than his, he noted, they stopped at two large double doors.

Pulling a key out of her tunic pocket, Cornelia unlocked the door, ushered Lelouch in, and then closed it behind them.

He looked around and noticed that it was a fairly well furnished room. A large king sized bed, a cabinet that he assumed contained alcohol, a couple of nightstands, a large circular table, and a door leading to another room.

"I take it that this is your room?" Lelouch asked as he continued to look around.

"It is. You don't mind sleeping in here, do you?" she asked, looking at him.

"No, no of course not" Lelouch said, smiling inwardly. A wish had been fulfilled. Tonight, he would tell Cornelia exactly how he felt about her, and hope that she wouldn't kill him for it.

Unknown to Lelouch, Cornelia was thinking the exact same thing. Tonight, she would tell Lelouch how much he meant to her, and if he allowed it, she would show him how much he meant to her.

"Would you care to take a bath?" she asked.

"To-together?" Lelouch said, stuttering as his face turned red. _"Dammit, I am so not suave"_

"We used to do it at the villa all the time" she said, trying to get him to accept.

_"Yes, we did"_ he thought _"But that was before I knew what I was doing and before you had those...those...mounds of yours."_

"Lelouch, we'll just be bathing" Cornelia said, still trying "You'll wash my hair like you used to, and that's it."

"That's it?" he asked, hiking an eyebrow.

"Promise" she replied, a mischievous smile lighting up her features.

"Fine" Lelouch said "But I'll be getting undressed in the bathroom. You'll be out here, and please, do knock before you walk in."

* * *

><p>He entered the room, and let out a low whistle. He had always heard that some rooms were bigger inside than they looked on the outside, but this was really the case with this bathroom.<p>

There was a large square tub, big enough for at least five people to fit comfortably, a toilet and a sink, a couple mirrors, and a few cupboards that contained towels.

Steam hung in the air, and he muttered something about preparation as he undressed and slipped into the hot water.

With a sigh of contentment, he shut his eyes and leaned his head back, only to be startled when a knock came from the door, and then it opened.

Closing his eyes once again, to give his older sister some privacy, he waited until he felt the ripples in the water, signifying her entrance into the bath.

"You do know, that you can open your eyes now" Cornelia said, her voice cutting through the steam filled air.

Cautiously opening one eye, and then the other, he saw that his sister had her back to him, offering her large mane of violet locks, along with a bottle of shampoo.

Letting out a breath into the hot air around him, he took the bottle that was offered, and portioned a generous amount of the liquid onto his hand.

Seven years out of practice, his movements at first felt awkward, but he soon fell into the rhythm of the once familiar task.

Cornelia slumped against him, leaning into his expert touch, as she sighed in contentment.

Once the shampoo was done, he slowly dipped her head into the water to rinse the lather from her hair.

When that was done, he dispensed conditioner and started to apply it to the ends of her hair.

Soon enough, he had finished working on Cornelia's hair, and didn't know what to do with himself.

She spun around, facing Lelouch, whose face was now red, either from the steam, or from the fact that the woman he loved, but she didn't know, was fully naked, and looking at him expectantly.

"Lelouch" she said, quietly, drawing out his name, almost seductively.

He was astounded by how her lips wrapped around his name so well, and how she said it, that he nearly missed answering her.

"Yes Cornelia?"

She looked down into the water, her teeth worrying her bottom lip, as she tried to figure out a way to tell him what she so desperately wanted to tell him.

Finally, after waiting for a moment, with no discernible change, Lelouch made his move.

Placing one hand under Cornelia's chin, he lifted it so that she could meet his gaze.

However, the ever present harsh amethyst eyes that frightened the enemy weren't present. Instead, in their place, were soft eyes, warm eyes, eyes that you could get lost in.

And that's exactly what was happening to Cornelia as she locked eyes with her brother.

Lelouch was also lost in her eyes. The indigo eyes that had grown so hard over the years, the years of fighting and bloodshed, were watching him carefully, but softly, as he moved his hands to her shoulders.

"Cornelia" he said, his voice barely above a whisper "May I give you something I've always wanted to?"

Her eyes still locked with his, she nodded in the affirmative, signaling him to continue.

Once again, almost reminiscent of their night at the ball, Lelouch moved his head towards hers, drawing her in until their lips met.

It was as if all the world had disappeared around them, and the only things that remained were Lelouch and Cornelia.

There was no war, no poverty, and no bathtub. The only things that mattered were the two people sharing a kiss that meant the world for each of them, for the first time.

It was a soft, and supple kiss, as Lelouch allowed Cornelia to pull away if she wanted to, but she didn't.

He could feel her warm, wet lips on his, as they each attempted to press closer to the other.

She didn't pull back until her lungs were screaming for oxygen.

Lelouch looked at her and said "Sister, I know how unorthodox this really is, but the truth is-"

He was cut off by Cornelia crashing her lips into his, and he placed his arms around her, holding her close.

Lelouch felt something poking at his lips, and he loosened his jaw, allowing Cornelia's tongue to slip into his mouth.

She took her time, exploring all around, until engaging in a duel with his own tongue.

She pulled hers back to her mouth, but he followed, and she allowed him to explore to his heart's content, until they broke apart, both with red faces and some panting.

"So..." Lelouch said, attempting to figure out what was going on, before Cornelia asked something.

"Lelouch, may I be honest with you?"

"Always" he replied.

Again, she looked down, biting her bottom lip, before looking back at him, and saying "Lelouch, you're the one who I've always loved, and when we had heard you were killed, I was devastated. I don't want to lose you again."

Lelouch could see tears forming at the corners of her eyes, so he pulled her in for another embrace.

He started to whisper in her ear "Cornelia, you're the only girl I've ever loved with all my heart. I realize that now, and I've known it for a long time, yet I denied myself the simple gesture of telling you. And trust me, you'll never lose me again. I promise."

Only now, Lelouch realized that they were standing, and holding onto each other, and that they were both still completely naked.

He felt the hard tips of her breasts dragging across his chest, with the slightest movement that either of them made, which included breathing.

His gut started to feel a little tighter as blood started to flow south of the border, and this time, he did nothing to stop it.

"Lelouch" Cornelia said, her voice like silk as it flowed out of her mouth, sending a shiver along his spine "I want you to show me, not tell me, how much you-"

She was abruptly cut off as Lelouch, tired of waiting, because he had waited for too long, crashed his lips into hers with quite a bit of force.

Cornelia gasped softly into the kiss, as he thrust his tongue into her mouth. She was surprised by how forward he was being, and how aggressive he was acting. She had awakened something deep inside him, even if she didn't know it.

She clasped her hands behind his neck, melting into the kiss, as they were swept into the lull of familiarity that the two shared.

Lelouch trailed one hand downwards to her firm buttocks, while the other one went upwards towards a breast. When they reached their destinations, and latched on, Cornelia pulled back from the kiss with a quiet moan, trembling against him as he groped and teased her. Never before had he touched a woman in this way, so he explored, until Cornelia put a hand on his chest and moved him back a little.

Worry clouded his vision. Had he done something wrong? Had he hurt her?

Nope. She had managed to summon the little willpower she had left, and convinced him to relocate to the bed, rather than sitting in the bath performing such an intimate dance.

They made it to the bed, before Lelouch was on top of her, trailing kisses along her jaw line, down her long, slender neck, and pausing at her collarbone, changing between licking and nipping the sensitive skin.

A thought occurred to her as she wondered how her brother was aware of such a spot, but it was removed, as she gasped again, and it felt like electricity was arcing all over her skin.

He kissed lower, into the valley on her chest, as he moved his right hand back up and began to play with one of her breasts, causing another small moan to come from her.

He kissed all around one of her breasts, tasting the sweet skin underneath, and he continued to fondle the other one, not yet paying attention to the perked nipples on top.

He realized that it was practically, for all intents and purposes, impossible to hold one of the mounds in only one hand, and concluded two hands would be needed to contain just one, which satisfied him greatly.

When he finally decided to pay attention to the perked tip of her breast, Cornelia almost let out a sigh of relief. Lelouch teased the nipple, licking it, and then grazing his teeth lightly over it, and paying attention to her other breast with a free hand.

Cornelia had lost all track of time, until she felt Lelouch's hand snake down to her opening.

Opening her engorged folds with his index and pinky fingers, he slowly pushed two fingers inside her body.

Immediately, Cornelia arched her back, moaning loudly with pleasure as she climaxed onto his hand, her juices dripping down his wrist and onto the sheets below.

Her face flushed more red than it already was, as she attempted to stutter out an apology, as Lelouch silenced her with a glare, slowly withdrawing his fingers and bringing them to his mouth, sucking the liquid off.

He gasped, surprised, as Cornelia's arms shot out and grabbed him by the waist, flipping him over and straddling him.

She cast a seductive grin his way, and her half lidded eyes were enough to give any man pause, as she looked onto his soldier with interest, being the first time she had ever seen one.

Cornelia grasped the base with both her hands and moved up to the tip, and then back down, causing Lelouch to grunt as she finished the motion.

She upped the pace, moving back and forth along his member, smearing the pre-cum over the length, and all over her hands.

The only warning she got, was the moan that Lelouch gave off as he jerked in her hands and spread his own fluids onto her cheeks and chest.

He laid there, his mouth gaping open as the liquid dripped down her face and chest, until she smiled a little at him, brushing her fingertips along his chest.

Quick as a shot, Lelouch flipped them back to their original position with him on top of her, aligning their bodies for the final act that would join them forever, excluding marriage.

Cornelia gave a small nod, and that was all the encouragement Lelouch needed, as he slowly inserted his member into her slowly, watching her lovely face for any changes that would signal pain, but if there was, she didn't show it as he buried himself to the hilt finally.

He drew back a little further than one usually would, before plunging in once again. He grit his teeth in pure pleasure as they relished in making love, performing the carnal act like many before them.

His thrusts gained a rhythm, as Cornelia met him each time, and one of his hands came up and groped her bosom hungrily.

Gradually, they both became more vocal, with whispers and grunts turning into moans, as they both started closer on their road to becoming one.

Sweat coated their bodies as they relished in what they were doing, after so long apart, they had finally found the way back to one another after seven years.

For each of them, their climax lingered just out of reach, but Cornelia found the familiar bundle of nerves that drove her wild.

As soon as she touched her clitoris, she cried his name at the top of her lungs, telling him to finish it.

Lelouch was nearly exhausted, but summoned what he had left, thrusting deeper and deeper each time, causing waves of pleasure to course through their bodies with each movement. He felt her walls tighten around his member, as she cried out again. Instantly, he climaxed, which in turn caused her to climax, their voices reaching to the heavens as the sensation overwhelmed each of them.

He had forgotten, or neglected to warn her, so his seed spilled inside her body, and even though he knew all females in the Britannian military had to take birth control, he silently cursed himself for it.

Strength leaving his body, Lelouch collapsed on top of Cornelia, both of them panting to try and get a steady rhythm for their breathing back once again.

The day had been much too long, and had worn on him, as he carefully rolled off the beauty that was beneath him, still recovering from the actions of the evening.

He was ecstatic that he was her first, and in turn, she had taken him. He had always been unable to tell her of his affections towards her, even though it would've been just a call away, he had never done it.

The last thing her remembered before nodding off, was Cornelia pulling the sheets over the both of them, and her curling up with him in a loving embrace.


End file.
